1.   Consumer spending seems to have picked up its pace, while businesses are trimming inventories slightly, all part of the comforting ebb and flow of the markets.

2.   Industrial production stalled, though, as businesses trimmed their inventories.

3.   The survey also showed that businesses trimmed production to slow inventory buildup.

4.   Businesses were trimming stockpiles this year as the economy slowed to a crawl.

5.   But analysts predicted the dazzling gains cannot last, as the Federal Reserve pushes interest rates higher and businesses trim huge stockpiles of goods.

6.   But overall, businesses have been trimming their stockpiles as the economy weakened this year.

7.   But overall, businesses have been trimming their stockpiles of goods on shelves and in warehouses as the economy weakened this year.

8.   The slight decline confirmed sluggishness in manufacturing as businesses trim inventories that accumulated earlier this year.

9.   While orders for autos and transportation goods are particularly volatile, the report appears to confirm other evidence of sluggishness in manufacturing as businesses trim excess inventories.