Dun & Bradstreet and FedEx Dataworks to Launch Predictive Insights Tracking U.S. Retail Supply and Demand
The Retail Momentum Index is designed to act as a leading indicator of retail trade activity in the United States.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. and MEMPHIS, Tenn., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dun & Bradstreet, the company that provides the knowledge graph powering global commerce, and FedEx Dataworks, the insights and intelligence platform moving FedEx beyond transportation, today announced a strategic collaboration to create new data and analytics solutions. By combining vast amounts of shipping intelligence and proprietary business data, businesses will gain the most comprehensive view of their supplier network and company relationships across all shipment types, turning what was once invisible into a powerful tool to predict and identify risk, respond faster, and build true resilience.
The first solution to launch will be the Dun & Bradstreet and FedEx Dataworks Retail Momentum Index, which fills critical information gaps in retail trade for business and financial decision-makers globally. The Retail Momentum Index will integrate FedEx Dataworks' surface and air shipping data with Dun & Bradstreet's maritime shipping volumes and container delays data, business activity signals, and business entity characteristics, as well as industry and location insights.
Together, these signals will provide a near real-time view of U.S. retail momentum across both supply and demand, allowing decision-makers to detect inflection points before they appear in traditional government reports such as monthly retail sales or inventory data. The Retail Momentum Index will use adjusted monthly returns from the Advance Monthly Retail Sales and Food Services series published by the U.S. Census Bureau as its benchmark.
"Businesses around the world rely on Dun & Bradstreet's supply chain insights to navigate risk in a constantly evolving geopolitical landscape," said Alex Zuck, general manager of risk at Dun & Bradstreet. "Through our deepening collaboration with FedEx Dataworks, we are turning data into signals and signals into insights that ultimately help illuminate risks before they become disruptions."
"FedEx has long been regarded as a bellwether for the global economy, and now through FedEx Dataworks we are fusing insights with Dun & Bradstreet's to unlock an unmatched source of economic verity for decision-makers across industries," said Tony Kreager, enterprise vice president, information technology, chief engineering and commercial officer, FedEx Dataworks. "By pairing physical movement data with rich business context, we are creating intelligence that reflects how the economy is actually moving—not how it looked weeks ago."
Early insights from the soon-to-be-released Retail Momentum Index reveal retail activity remained soft through the 2025 holiday season, but data shows clear signs of stabilization. In addition, the index shows the credit health of U.S. retail businesses has improved meaningfully as the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates three times in 2025.
Key insights from the Retail Momentum Index include:
- An early indication of retail momentum, ahead of lagging economic data like the Advance Retail Sales report from the U.S. Census Bureau, which is a common indicator of GDP.
- While year-over-year momentum was still negative in Q4 2025, the average decline improved sharply to 10.3%, compared to 21.0% in Q4 2024, indicating a meaningful slowdown in contraction.
- Returns volumes continued to fall significantly, declining an average of 38.4% from 2023–24 and 54.5% from 2024–25, pointing to improved demand quality and more disciplined discretionary spending by consumers and businesses.
- Policy uncertainty weighed on performance throughout the year. Following tariff expansions in April 2025, retail momentum weakened through Q2 and Q3. While tariffs easing later in the year helped stabilize conditions, the late year pickup appears largely seasonal as momentum softened again in December.
- Looking ahead, indicators suggest retail activity is likely to remain broadly stable through at least the first half of 2026, barring major regulatory or policy changes.
The upcoming launch of the Retail Momentum Index marks the start of an expanding collaboration between Dun & Bradstreet and FedEx Dataworks to develop additional joint insights for the market ranging from global economic signals to multi-modal supply chain and logistics intelligence.
About Dun & Bradstreet
Dun & Bradstreet enables companies around the world to improve their business performance. Dun & Bradstreet's Data Cloud fuels solutions and delivers insights that empower customers to accelerate revenue, lower cost, mitigate risk, and transform their businesses. Since 1841, companies of every size have relied on Dun & Bradstreet to help them manage risk and reveal opportunity. For more information on Dun & Bradstreet, please visit www.dnb.com.
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE:FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce, and business services. With annual revenue of $90 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions utilizing its flexible, efficient, and intelligent global network. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 500,000 employees to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards, and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit fedex.com/about.
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SOURCE Dun & Bradstreet, Inc.