All retailers want for Christmas is your internet search history. Merchants swamped by inventory woes during the pandemic are turning to artificial intelligence technology that takes in everything from weather patterns to social-media trends to better predict shopper demand. The WSJ Logistics Report’s Liz Young writes that Walmart, Walgreens and online fashion seller ASOS are among those rolling out tools that evaluate huge sets of data and guide decisions on where to place inventory. The retailers are trying to refine forecasting tools that crumbled amid the rapidly shifting buying patterns of recent years. Walmart is using weather forecasts as well as searches on its own website and on Google to get the right goods in the right place. The efforts are an example of the changes retailers are making to try to better match supply and demand after years of steep and costly inventory imbalances.

• A majority of retailers in a survey are adopting “keep it” policies for returns during the holidays. (Reuters)

The fiercest competition among retailers is happening at the doorstop, not the store. Amazon, Walmart and Target are investing heavily in processes to cut down delivery time, advancing capabilities by days and even hours. That’s largely being driven by customer expectations. More than 90% of shoppers expect two-day delivery, and 30% expect same-day delivery. In a WSJ video report, we look at what the abundance of fast-shipping options means for consumers.

Growth in U.S. consumer spending slowed to 0.2% in October while a key measure of inflation remained mild. (WSJ)

China’s factory activity fell deeper into contraction in November. (WSJ)

India’s economy expanded 7.6% in the three months ended Sept. 30 from a year earlier. (WSJ)

Canada’s economy contracted at an 1.1% annual rate in the past quarter. (WSJ)

OPEC and its allies agreed to a significant production cut of another million barrels a day. (WSJ)

Ford says the recent six-week strike drained $1.7 billion from the automaker’s bottom line. (WSJ)

Occidental Petroleum is in talks to buy Permian basin energy producer CrownRock. (WSJ)

The European Union and South America’s biggest economies are close to concluding a trade agreement more than two decades in the making. (Bloomberg)

Candy giant Mars says it aims to end the use of child labor in its supply chain after a CBS News report on cocoa harvesting in Ghana. (CNBC)

Thai coal miner Banpu will start producing batteries for Chinese electric-vehicle makers. (Nikkei Asia)

Amkor Technology plans to build a $2 billion facility near Phoenix to package and test semiconductors for Apple. (Arizona Republic) 

Connecticut’s governor withdrew a proposal to ban sales of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. (Commercial Carrier Journal)

Spot rates for dry bulk’s biggest capesize vessels have doubled over the past week. (Splash 247)

Shipping magnate George Economou has taken a 5% stake in dry-bulk vessel operator Seanergy. (TradeWinds)

Maersk Line settled its lawsuit against the companies behind the ship that blocked the Suez Canal in 2021. (ShippingWatch)

Canada’s TFI International bought small Nebraska trucker Dahlsten Truck Line, its 12th acquisition this year. (Trucking Dive)

• Retailers have reined in inventory ahead of the holiday season as they try to get a better handle on volatile consumer demand.
• A law designed to protect patients from surprise medical bills is denting the finances of some healthcare providers, with a few major ones filing for bankruptcy.
• Okta's disclosure that a data breach was far larger than previously thought highlights the difficulties companies face with SEC cyber rules set to go live in December.
• 🎧 Listen to Dave Stangis, Apollo Global Management's first chief sustainability officer, discuss how he builds teams focused on sustainability.

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Reach him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.