November business inventories

Motor vehicle inventories were unchanged as previously reported after falling 0.7 percent in October. Retail inventories excluding autos, which go into the calculation of GDP, increased 0.2 percent as reported last month. They rose 0.4 percent in October.

Inventory investment contributed almost eight-tenths of a percentage point to the economy’s 3.2 percent annualized growth pace in the third quarter. Inventory investment accelerated in the third quarter after slowing sharply at the start of 2017.

Business sales surged 1.2 percent in November after rising 0.8 percent in October. At November’s sales pace, it would take 1.33 months for businesses to clear shelves, the fewest since November 2014, down from 1.34 months in October.