On February 5, 2026, FedEx Dataworks entered into a strategic collaboration with Dun & Bradstreet to co-develop advanced data and analytics solutions targeting U.S. retail supply-chain intelligence. By integrating FedEx Dataworks' surface and air shipping metrics with Dun & Bradstreet’s maritime shipping volumes, container-delay data, business activity signals and entity characteristics, the partners aim to deliver a unified view of supplier networks, shipment flows and risk indicators. This alliance leverages FedEx’s global logistics footprint—servicing more than 220 countries and territories—and Dun & Bradstreet’s Data Cloud, which processes over 400 million business records, to provide decision-makers with real-time signals ahead of traditional government reports.

The inaugural solution from this collaboration, the Retail Momentum Index, combines adjusted monthly returns from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Advance Monthly Retail Sales and Food Services series with proprietary shipping and business-health metrics. Early data through Q4 2025 show year-over-year retail momentum losses narrowed to an average 10.3% contraction, versus 21.0% in Q4 2024, signaling a marked deceleration in downturn. Returns volumes also declined by 38.4% compared with 2023–24, versus a 54.5% drop in 2024–25, reflecting improved demand quality. With three Federal Reserve rate cuts enacted last year, the index indicates an uptick in credit health for U.S. retailers. The index is engineered to detect inflection points weeks ahead of lagging indicators such as monthly inventory reports, offering investors an early gauge of trends in consumer spending and supply-chain resilience.