NEW YORK—Kohl’s posted a surprise profit for the fiscal first quarter, helped by the department store chain’s moves to cut inventory in the wake of weak sales. The company, based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, also affirmed its annual financial guidance, pushing up shares 11 percent higher in premarket trading on Wednesday. Kohl’s said that it…

General Motors Co. reported a 15 percent drop in second-quarter auto sales on Friday, as a global chip shortage and supply chain disruptions hit production and left nearly 100,000 vehicles waiting for more parts. The U.S. auto industry is struggling to keep up with pent-up consumer demand for new cars as it struggles to ramp…

WASHINGTON—The U.S. trade deficit widened to a record high in January as businesses imported more goods to rebuild inventories, potentially setting up trade to remain a drag on economic growth in the first quarter. Though inventory accumulation continues, the pace is cooling, with other data from the Commerce Department on Tuesday showing the increase in…

LONDON—Oil prices fell on Friday, after rising to seven-year highs this week, after an unexpected rise in U.S. crude and fuel inventories, and as investors took profits. Brent crude futures were down $1.49, or 1.6 percent, to $86.89 a barrel by 1010 GMT. The contract earlier fell by as much as 3 percent, the most…

Ongoing disruptions in America’s supply chains have prompted manufacturers to review and modify their inventory management systems. Just-in-time (JIT) inventory management, which calls for the right amount of inventory at the right time, has long been the standard. However, just-in-case (JIC), a system which focuses on keeping extra inventory on hand, has recently gained attention….

LONDON—Oil slipped but held above $75 a barrel on Thursday, within sight of a near seven-week high hit a day earlier, supported by a big drop in U.S. crude inventories and expectations of recovering global demand. U.S. crude inventories fell by 6.4 million barrels last week, more than analysts expected, as oil facilities offshore were…

The inventory of existing homes for sale rose while prices eased somewhat from their record-highs in July, suggesting some relief may be in store for prospective buyers gripped by months of surging prices. Total housing inventory rose 7.3 percent over-the-month in July, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). At 1.32 million units, this is…

Commentary U.S. home prices continued to climb in March and have risen nearly 15 percent since the beginning of 2020. That is the takeaway of a U.S. housing market analysis by Standard & Poors, in conjunction with CoreLogic. The study was completed using a method advocated by Nobel-laureate Robert Schiller, which uses actual home price…