ManufacturingMonthly

SPY & Inventories to Sales Ratio

The ratio of total business inventories to total business sales, measuring inventory health across the economy.

SPY Price

$688.98

Inventories/Sales Ratio

Last Data: Oct 2025
Last Release: Jan 14, 2026
Next Release: Feb 17, 2026
1.38
12-Mo MA: 1.38

What It Measures

The Total Business Inventories to Sales Ratio measures how many months of sales are currently held in inventory across all U.S. businesses. It covers: - Manufacturing inventories - Wholesale trade inventories - Retail trade inventories Formula: Inventory/Sales Ratio = Total Inventories / Total Monthly Sales A ratio of 1.4 means businesses hold 1.4 months worth of sales in inventory.

Why It Matters

**Economic Cycle Indicator**: Rising ratios often precede recessions as demand falls but inventories remain. **Supply Chain Health**: Shows whether businesses are overstocked or understocked. **Production Signal**: High inventories may lead to production cuts; low inventories may drive restocking. **GDP Impact**: Inventory changes are a volatile component of GDP growth.

Key Levels

Above 1.45
Elevated inventories, potential overstocking, recession risk
1.35-1.45
Moderately elevated inventories
1.25-1.35
Healthy inventory levels
Below 1.25
Lean inventories, strong demand or supply constraints

Data Sources

SPY: S&P 500 ETF daily OHLCV data (1993-02-02 to 2026-01-22)

Inv/Sales: ISRATIO - Inventories to Sales Ratio from U.S. Census Bureau

Units: , ,