Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Aug. 27

02:54 PM EDT, 08/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Advance data for July showed the international trade deficit widened to $118.81 billion from $101.41 billion in June, reflecting a decline in exports and an increase in imports. In the same report, wholesale inventories rose by 1.3% in July after a 0.3% gain in June, while retail inventories rose by 0.7% after a 0.2% decline. Excluding motor vehicle sales, retail inventories would have still increased by 0.7%. The Kansas City manufacturing reading rose to 10 in August from 9 in July, indicating a faster pace of expansion. Initial jobless claims decreased by 4,000 to 203,000 in the week ended Aug. 22, but the four-week moving average rose by 1,250 to 205,500, a third straight increase. Insured claims fell by 18,000 to 1.778 million in the employment survey week ended Aug. 15, only slightly above a level of 1.777 million in the employment survey week ended July 18. Natural gas stocks rose by 15 billion cubic feet to 3.184 trillion cubic feet in the week ended Aug. 21, down 0.9% from a year earlier but 5.5% higher than the seasonal average for the current week over the previous five years.