US wholesale inventories rose 0.5% month-on-month to $964.2 billion in August 2026, below the 0.7% in the advance estimate and following a upwardly revised 1.4% increase in July. Despite the slowdown, inventories have increased for seven consecutive months. Nondurable goods inventories were unchanged, as declines in petroleum (-3.9%), groceries (-0.5%), and drugs (-0.8%) offset increases in farm products (6.9%), alcohol (1.7%), paper (0.6%), and apparel (0.6%). Durable goods inventories increased 0.8%, slowing from 1.2% in July, driven by gains in metals (3.1%), machinery (1.3%), and automotive products (0.7%), while computer equipment (-0.8%) and hardware (-0.2%) declined. On a yearly basis, wholesale inventories rose 6.4%, slightly below the previously estimated 6.6%.