FOR RELEASE AT 8:30 AM EDT, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2026 MONTHLY ADVANCE ECONOMIC INDICATORS REPORT, MARCH 2026 Release Number: CB26-71 April 29, 2026 — The U.S. Census Bureau announced the following international trade, wholesale inventories, and retail inventories advance statistics for March 2026: ADVANCE ADVANCE ADVANCE INTERNATIONAL WHOLESALE RETAIL TRADE: GOODS DEFICIT INVENTORIES INVENTORIES MARCH 2026 $87.9 Billion +5.3%° $932.8 Billion +1.4% $823.5 Billion +0.7% FEBRUARY 2026 $83.5 Billion $920.3 Billion (R) $817.8 Billion (R) Next release: May 29, 2026. * The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero. ° Statistical significance is not applicable or not measurable. Data adjusted for seasonality but not price changes. Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Advance Economic Indicators Report, April 29, 2026. Advance International Trade in Goods The international trade deficit was $87.9 billion in March, up $4.4 billion from $83.5 billion in February. Exports of goods for March were $211.5 billion, $5.2 billion more than February exports. Imports of goods for March were $299.3 billion, $9.6 billion more than February imports. Advance Wholesale Inventories Wholesale inventories for March, adjusted for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $932.8 billion, up 1.4 percent (±0.2 percent) from February 2026, and were up 2.9 percent (±1.1 percent) from March 2025. The January 2026 to February 2026 percentage change was revised from the preliminary estimate of up 0.8 percent (±0.4 percent) to up 0.9 percent (±0.4 percent). Advance Retail Inventories Retail inventories for March, adjusted for seasonal variations and trading day differences, but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of $823.5 billion, up 0.7 percent (±0.2 percent) from February 2026, and were up 2.3 percent (±0.5 percent) from March 2025. The January 2026 to February 2026 percentage change was revised from the preliminary estimate of up 0.2 percent (±0.2 percent)* to up 0.3 percent (±0.2 percent). The April 2026 Advance report is scheduled for release on May 29, 2026. View the full schedule in the Economic Briefing Room: < https://www.census.gov/economic-indicators >. The full text and tables of this release can be found at < https://www.census.gov/econ/indicators/index.html >. Data Inquiries Media Inquiries International Trade Indicator Branch: 301-763-2311 eid.international.trade.data@census.gov Public Information Office Retail Indicator Branch: 301-763-2713 eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov 301-763-3030 Wholesale Indicator Branch: 301-763-6856 eid.wholesale.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov GENERAL INFORMATION Special Notice - The Annual Retail Trade Survey (ARTS) and the Annual Wholesale Trade Survey (AWTS) have transitioned to the Annual Integrated Economic Survey (AIES). As a result of this transition and the associated changes to data processing and integration, the Annual Revision Reports for the Monthly Retail Trade Survey (MRTS) and the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey (MWTS) will be delayed. Updated release schedules will be provided once they become available. EXPLANATORY NOTES International Trade in Goods Goods (Census Basis) Data for goods on a Census basis are compiled from the documents collected by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and reflect the movement of goods between foreign countries and the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and U.S. Foreign Trade Zones. They include government and non-government shipments of goods and exclude shipments between the United States and its territories and possessions; transactions with U.S. military, diplomatic, and consular installations abroad; U.S. goods returned to the United States by its Armed Forces; personal and household effects of travelers; and in-transit shipments. Data for U.S. exports to Canada are derived from import data compiled by Canada. For more information on the data exchange and substitution please refer to the FT-900. The General Imports value reflects the total arrival of merchandise from foreign countries that immediately enters consumption channels, warehouses, or Foreign Trade Zones. For imports, the value reported is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection appraised value of merchandise— generally, the price paid for merchandise for export to the United States. Import duties, freight, insurance, and other charges incurred in bringing merchandise to the United States are excluded. Exports are valued at the free alongside ship value of merchandise at the U.S. port of export, based on the transaction price including inland freight, insurance, and other charges incurred in placing the merchandise alongside the carrier at the U.S. port of exportation. Additional information on coverage and valuation are available in the Guide to Foreign Trade Statistics, and , respectively. Data Inquiries Media Inquiries International Trade Indicator Branch: 301-763-2311 eid.international.trade.data@census.gov Public Information Office Retail Indicator Branch: 301-763-2713 eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov 301-763-3030 Wholesale Indicator Branch: 301-763-6856 eid.wholesale.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov Nonsampling Errors Goods data are a complete enumeration of documents collected by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and are not subject to sampling errors. This report presents current month statistics which reflect nearly complete coverage. Current month statistics reflecting complete coverage will be published in the upcoming U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services report (FT-900). Statistics for other months shown reflect complete coverage and appear in the most recently published FT-900. Quality assurance procedures are performed at every stage of collection, processing, and tabulation. However, the data are still subject to several types of nonsampling errors. Information on nonsampling errors and other quality issues are available in the Guide to Foreign Trade Statistics, . The U.S. Census Bureau recommends that data users incorporate this information into their analyses, as nonsampling errors could impact the conclusion drawn from the results. For a detailed discussion of errors affecting the goods data, see U.S. Merchandise Trade Statistics: A Quality Profile (October 2014), available at or from the Economic Indicators Division, U.S. Census Bureau. Adjustments for Seasonal and Trading-Day Variations Goods data are presented on a seasonally adjusted and not seasonally adjusted basis. Seasonally adjusted (and/or trading day adjusted data) are produced using X-13ARIMA-SEATS software to develop monthly adjustment factors. Goods data are initially classified under the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System), which is an internationally accepted standard for the commodity classification of traded goods. Combining trade into approximately 140 export and 140 import end-use categories makes it possible to examine goods according to their principal uses. These categories are used as the basis for computing the seasonal and trading-day adjusted data. These adjusted data are then summed to the six end-use aggregates for publication. For more information, visit the seasonal adjustment section of the Guide to Foreign Trade here: . Retail and Wholesale Inventories National estimates of end-of-month inventories are based on data from the Monthly Retail Trade Survey and the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey. Additional information for each survey can be found at and . The advance estimates contained in this report are not incorporated into the full MRTS and MWTS time series. The MRTS and MWTS samples selected to measure inventories consist of a stratified simple random sampling method of approximately 11,000 retail firms and 4,200 wholesale firms located in the United States. The retail and wholesale samples include firms of all sizes and are updated on a quarterly basis to account for new retail and wholesale firms, deaths, and other changes to the universe. Data for nonresponding firms are imputed based on data for similar-sized firms classified in the same kind of business. For surveyed Retail companies, approximately 36.0 percent provided data for this reporting period Data Inquiries Media Inquiries International Trade Indicator Branch: 301-763-2311 eid.international.trade.data@census.gov Public Information Office Retail Indicator Branch: 301-763-2713 eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov 301-763-3030 Wholesale Indicator Branch: 301-763-6856 eid.wholesale.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov resulting in a total quantity response rate of 46.1 percent. For surveyed Wholesale companies, approximately 50.6 percent provided data for this reporting period resulting in a total quantity response rate of 55.6 percent. MRTS estimates cover companies with one or more establishments that sell merchandise and related services to final consumers. The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data (Project No. P-7504206, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY26-003). MWTS estimates cover wholesale merchants who sell goods on their own account and include such businesses as wholesale merchants or jobbers, industrial distributors, exporters, and importers. Sales offices and branches maintained by manufacturing, refining, or mining firms for the purpose of marketing their products are not covered in this report. Also excluded is NAICS Industry Group 4251: Wholesale Electronic Markets and Agents and Brokers. The Census Bureau has reviewed this data product to ensure appropriate access, use, and disclosure avoidance protection of the confidential source data (Project No. 7503922, Disclosure Review Board (DRB) approval number: CBDRB-FY26-005). Reliability of Estimates Because the retail and wholesale estimates are based on a sample survey, they contain sampling error and nonsampling error. Sampling error is the difference between the estimate and the result that would be obtained from a complete enumeration of the sampling frame conducted under the same survey conditions. This error occurs because only a subset of the entire sampling frame is measured in a sample survey. Standard errors and coefficients of variation are estimated measures of sampling variation. The margin of sampling error gives a range about the estimate which is a 90 percent confidence interval. If, for example, the percentage change estimate is +1.2 percent and its estimated standard error is 0.9 percent, then the margin of sampling error is ±1.753 x 0.9 percent or ±1.6 percent, and the 90 percent confidence interval is −0.4 percent to +2.8 percent. If the interval contains 0, then one does not have sufficient evidence to conclude at the 90 percent confidence level that the change is different from zero and therefore the change is not statistically significant. Estimated changes are statistically significant unless otherwise noted. For a monthly total, the estimated coefficient of variation is given. The resulting confidence interval is the estimated value ±1.753 x CV x (the estimated monthly total). Nonsampling error encompasses all other factors that contribute to the total error of a sample survey estimate. This type of error can occur because of nonresponse, insufficient coverage of the universe of businesses, mistakes in the recording and coding of data, and other errors of collection, response, coverage, or processing. Although nonsampling error is not measured directly, the Census Bureau employs quality control procedures throughout the process to minimize this type of error. Data Inquiries Media Inquiries International Trade Indicator Branch: 301-763-2311 eid.international.trade.data@census.gov Public Information Office Retail Indicator Branch: 301-763-2713 eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov 301-763-3030 Wholesale Indicator Branch: 301-763-6856 eid.wholesale.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov The U.S. Census Bureau recommends that individuals using retail and wholesale estimates incorporate this information into their analyses, as sampling error and nonsampling error could affect the conclusions drawn from the estimates. Adjustments for Seasonal Variations Concurrent seasonal adjustment is used to adjust the retail and wholesale inventories estimates for seasonal variations. Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available unadjusted estimates as input to the X-13ARIMA- SEATS program. The factors derived from the program are applied to the retail and wholesale estimates of current and previous month inventories and for inventories estimates a year ago as well. Statement Regarding Natural Disasters: For information on the impact of natural disasters, including hurricanes, on the compilation of this report, please see and . Data Availability The Advance Economic Indicators Report is available at . For archived versions of the Advance Economic Indicators Report please visit the Historical Data tab at the following: . RESOURCES API The Census Bureau’s application programming interface lets developers create custom apps to reach new users and makes key demographic, socio-economic and housing statistics more accessible than ever before. FRED Mobile App Receive the latest updates on the nation’s key economic indicators by downloading the FRED App for both Apple and Android devices. FRED, the signature database of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, now incorporates the Census Bureau’s 13 economic indicators. ### * The 90 percent confidence interval includes zero. There is insufficient statistical evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero. ° Statistical significance is not applicable or not measurable for this survey. (R) Revised from the last published Monthly Retail Trade Report and Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories Report Data Inquiries Media Inquiries International Trade Indicator Branch: 301-763-2311 eid.international.trade.data@census.gov Public Information Office Retail Indicator Branch: 301-763-2713 eid.retail.indicator.branch@census.gov 301-763-3030 Wholesale Indicator Branch: 301-763-6856 eid.wholesale.indicator.branch@census.gov pio@census.gov -1- Table 1. U.S. International Trade in Goods by Principal End-Use Category (1) In millions of dollars. Details may not equal totals due to seasonal adjustment and rounding. (X) - Not applicable Goods - Census Basis (2) Monthly Percent change March February January March March 2026/ February 2026/ March 2026/ 2026 2026 2026 2025 February 2026 January 2026 March 2025 (a) Seasonally Adjusted Balance -87,871 -83,487 -80,936 -161,497 (X) (X) (X) Exports 211,453 206,221 194,715 182,320 2.5 5.9 16.0 Foods, Feeds, & Beverages 14,953 13,920 14,147 13,732 7.4 -1.6 8.9 Industrial Supplies (3) 85,803 81,793 71,585 64,886 4.9 14.3 32.2 Capital Goods 66,729 66,171 66,891 58,303 0.8 -1.1 14.5 Automotive Vehicles, etc. 13,565 12,912 11,482 15,396 5.1 12.5 -11.9 Consumer Goods 21,257 22,968 20,110 22,008 -7.5 14.2 -3.4 Other Goods 9,147 8,456 10,499 7,994 8.2 -19.5 14.4 Imports 299,325 289,707 275,651 343,816 3.3 5.1 -12.9 Foods, Feeds, & Beverages 17,488 16,925 16,990 19,326 3.3 -0.4 -9.5 Industrial Supplies (3) 54,269 52,577 49,516 74,639 3.2 6.2 -27.3 Capital Goods 120,287 118,519 110,720 93,752 1.5 7.0 28.3 Automotive Vehicles, etc. 35,901 32,331 30,685 41,478 11.0 5.4 -13.4 Consumer Goods 57,664 55,318 53,105 102,492 4.2 4.2 -43.7 Other Goods 13,717 14,037 14,635 12,130 -2.3 -4.1 13.1 Not Seasonally Adjusted Balance -81,343 -58,418 -74,293 -151,316 (X) (X) (X) Exports 220,328 195,138 186,300 191,411 12.9 4.7 15.1 Foods, Feeds, & Beverages 15,537 13,682 14,008 14,615 13.6 -2.3 6.3 Industrial Supplies (3) 87,459 79,455 70,447 66,491 10.1 12.8 31.5 Capital Goods 70,089 59,186 63,149 61,622 18.4 -6.3 13.7 Automotive Vehicles, etc. 14,697 12,097 9,957 16,652 21.5 21.5 -11.7 Consumer Goods 23,219 22,669 18,938 23,900 2.4 19.7 -2.8 Other Goods 9,326 8,049 9,802 8,130 15.9 -17.9 14.7 Imports 301,671 253,555 260,593 342,727 19.0 -2.7 -12.0 Foods, Feeds, & Beverages 19,033 15,793 17,087 20,650 20.5 -7.6 -7.8 Industrial Supplies (3) 54,601 47,422 48,925 73,528 15.1 -3.1 -25.7 Capital Goods 120,998 99,461 102,117 93,556 21.7 -2.6 29.3 Automotive Vehicles, etc. 37,589 29,362 28,643 43,067 28.0 2.5 -12.7 Consumer Goods 54,791 48,875 50,655 99,360 12.1 -3.5 -44.9 Other Goods 14,660 12,642 13,166 12,565 16.0 -4.0 16.7 (a) Advance statistics (1) For a listing of the detail included in each end-use category, see . (2) Data are presented on a Census basis. The information needed to convert to a balance of payment basis is not available. (3) Includes petroleum and petroleum products. NOTES: * For information on data sources, nonsampling errors, and definitions, see the explanatory notes in this release or at . Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Advance Economic Indicators Report, April 29, 2026. -2- Table 2. Levels and Percent Changes for Inventories Inventories estimates are shown in millions of dollars. Estimates are based on data from the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey and the Monthly Retail Trade Survey. Inventories Monthly Percent change March February March March 2026/ February 2026/ March 2026/ 2026 2026 2025 February 2026 January 2026 March 2025 (a) (r) (r) Adjusted1 Merchant wholesale2 trade, total 932,768 920,301 906,429 1.4 0.9 2.9 Durable goods 578,634 577,023 570,838 0.3 0.9 1.4 Nondurable goods 354,134 343,278 335,591 3.2 1.0 5.5 3 Retail trade, total 823,483 817,768 805,007 0.7 0.3 2.3 Total (excl. motor veh. & parts) 560,668 558,096 549,145 0.5 0.3 2.1 Motor vehicle & parts dealers 262,815 259,672 255,862 1.2 0.3 2.7 Not Adjusted 2 Merchant wholesale trade, total 941,018 928,656 914,900 1.3 1.1 2.9 Durable goods 578,802 575,020 570,712 0.7 1.7 1.4 Nondurable goods 362,216 353,636 344,188 2.4 0.1 5.2 Retail3 trade, total 820,548 809,142 801,706 1.4 1.0 2.4 Total (excl. motor veh. & parts) 558,661 550,050 546,755 1.6 1.4 2.2 Motor vehicle & parts dealers 261,887 259,092 254,951 1.1 0.1 2.7 (a) Advance estimate (r) Revised estimate See footnotes and notes at the end of Table 3. Table 3. Estimated Measures of Sampling Variability Estimates are shown as percents and are based on data from the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey and the Monthly Retail Trade Survey. Inventories Monthly Standard Error of Coefficient of Variation Percent Change March February March March 2026/ February 2026/ March 2026/ 2026 2026 2025 February 2026 January 2026 March 2025 (a) (r) (r) 2 Merchant wholesale trade, total 2.1 2.1 1.9 0.1 0.2 0.6 Durable goods 2.8 2.8 2.8 0.1 0.2 0.8 Nondurable goods 1.9 1.8 1.5 0.3 0.2 0.7 Retail trade, total 1.1 1.1 1.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 Total (excl. motor veh. & parts) 1.6 1.5 1.5 0.1 0.1 0.2 Motor vehicle & parts dealers 1.6 1.5 1.5 0.2 0.1 0.7 (a) Advance estimate (r) Revised estimate Z Estimate rounds to zero (1) Estimates are concurrently adjusted for seasonal variation and trading day differences, but not for price changes. Concurrent seasonal adjustment uses all available not adjusted estimates as input to the X-13ARIMA-SEATS program. The factors derived from the program are used in calculating all seasonally adjusted estimates shown in this table. (2) The 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) defines merchant wholesalers as including manufacturers’ sales branches and offices. However, the estimates included in this release exclude manufacturers’ sales branches and offices. Note that this is not a change in coverage from prior releases and is consistent with the description used in the Monthly Wholesale Trade Survey data products. (3) Retail Trade estimates include data only for businesses with paid employees. Prior to the benchmark report released in April 2025, the monthly retail estimates that were released in the Advance Economic Indicators Report estimates included nonemployers. NOTES: Estimated measures of sampling variability are based on estimates not adjusted for seasonal variation. Additional information on confidentiality protection, sampling error, nonsampling error, sample design, and definitions may be found at for wholesale and at for retail. Source: U.S. Census Bureau; Advance Economic Indicators Report, April 29, 2026.