The core personal consumption expenditures price index was up 0.4% in February from the prior month and 2.8% from the prior year, according to the Commerce Department. The numbers were slightly above the estimates of economists surveyed by Dow Jones.

Advanced wholesale inventories jumped 0.3% in February compared to the previous month and rose 1.1% from a year earlier to reach $902.9 billion, according to the Census Bureau. The increase followed a 0.8% rise in January. Durable goods inventories also grew by 0.3%, while nondurable goods grew by 0.5%. Retail inventories increased 0.1% to $823 billion.

Core & Main is relocating a North Cincinnati waterworks branch to a 30,000-square-foot facility in Fairfield, Ohio, to address space constraints. The new facility will triple the current space and include a 1,000-square-foot sales area. Construction on the new location is expected to start next month and be completed in roughly a year.

A study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology explores optimizing the lifecycle of last-mile packaging to reduce cardboard waste and carbon emissions. The research, based on Amazon data, shows that significant CO2 savings can be achieved without collecting all boxes and that the weight-distance ratio is crucial in determining pickup efficiency.

The American Society of Civil Engineers' 2025 Infrastructure Report Card gave the US its highest grade ever--a C--highlighting modest but meaningful improvements across sectors like ports, drinking water and broadband, while noting declines in energy and rail. Despite increased funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the US still faces a $3.7 trillion investment gap and must prioritize long-term resilience, data transparency and consistent funding to close it, ASCE says.

Saul Marquez of Outcomes Rocket highlights five strategies for B2B companies to use video marketing effectively on LinkedIn. These include producing valuable content, focusing on short-form videos, hosting live videos and webinars, personalizing videos for target audiences, and measuring and optimizing performance.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced plans to stop defending climate disclosure rules adopted last year under former Chairman Gary Gensler. The rules, which required companies to disclose climate risks and emissions, faced an immediate flurry of legal challenges, including a lawsuit from more than two dozen Republican state attorneys general.

US corporate profits reached a record high in the fourth quarter and exceeded $4 trillion, driven by robust demand, strong pricing power and some preemptive buying ahead of tariffs. Profits from both financial and non-financial domestic firms saw significant increases, up an estimated 5.4% from the previous quarter. However, President Donald Trump's recent tariff actions, including a 25% levy on imported vehicles, have created economic uncertainty that could potentially leading to layoffs as companies seek to protect margins.

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