Wholesale inventories climb 0.2% in October, as expected

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  January 08, 2026 at 15:23  |  1:18  |  CNBC
Speakers
Rick Santelli — On-Air Editor, CNBC Business News

Summary

CNBC's Rick Santelli reviews October wholesale inventories data, which rose 0.2% as expected, while wholesale sales fell 0.4%. He says the latest economic data were mostly solidly positive, including fewer announced layoffs, lower unit labor costs, productivity, an improved trade balance, and well-behaved jobless claims. No specific investment recommendation or tradable expression is stated.

  • October wholesale inventories rose 0.2%, in line with expectations.
  • October wholesale sales fell 0.4%, weaker than expected and the weakest since May.
  • Santelli notes inventory builds have been solid, with January possibly tied to tariff front-running.
  • Other economic data points were described as solidly positive.
  • Announced layoffs fell, unit labor costs dropped, and productivity was solid.
  • The trade balance nearly halved and jobless claims were well behaved.
  • No security, sector, asset, or index trade idea was explicitly named.
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