Business inventories increased by 0.3% in January after an 0.2% drop a month earlier, according to Census Bureau data. Overall, inventories were up 2.3% from a year ago. Distributor and manufacturer sales declined by 0.8% in January compared to a month earlier, but increased 3.5% compared to a year earlier. Inventory-to-sales ratios were 1.37 in January, down from 1.38 in January 2024.

Conflict in Yemen has reignited and threatens to disrupt global supply chains as Houthi rebels target critical shipping routes in the Red Sea, a vital artery for international trade. Continued hostilities risk further destabilizing the region, impacting maritime commerce and increasing costs for global shipping.

Retail sales increased by 0.2% in February, falling short of the 0.6% gain economists had projected, while January's figures were revised downward to a 1.2% decline. The weaker-than-expected data has raised concerns that the US economy may expand more slowly than anticipated in early 2025.

Andy Moul, director of warehouse and distribution solutions at A. Duie Pyle, discusses strategies and technologies that enhance warehouse efficiency in an episode of the Talking Supply Chain podcast. Moul highlights the growing use of automation and AI to handle repetitive tasks and improve inventory management, noting that proactive inventory stocking is a trend aimed at mitigating tariff impacts.

The integration of AI and blockchain to enhance transparency is one major shift to expect in the supply chain this year, writes Shabbir Dahod, president and CEO of TraceLink. Enterprise resource planning will be more democratic due to the increase in open source platforms, and network integration will permit easier sharing of data that contributes to efficiency, Dahod writes.

A survey by Demand Gen Report and Gartner finds that 73% of B2B marketing teams use generative AI, with content creation as the main application. While AI enhances operational efficiency, marketers face challenges such as data quality and integration. The survey also reveals that conversational AI is the second most popular tool, though usage for social media and personalization is limited.

President Donald Trump on Saturday signed into law a stop-gap funding package, averting a federal government shutdown. The US Senate passed the measure Friday with a 54-46 vote. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., backed the bill to avoid a damaging shutdown.

President Donald Trump announced plans to implement broad reciprocal and sector-specific tariffs on April 2. The tariffs will target imports based on the exporting country's tariff barriers and include additional levies on automobiles, steel, aluminum, microprocessors and pharmaceuticals.

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