Consumer prices that took off last year are starting to flatten out as a wave of rising supply-chain costs starts to retreat. The WSJ’s Sarah Nassauer, Suzanne Kapner and Nick Timiraos report the trends on store shelves may be another sign that inflation is starting to turn a corner. Many companies raised their prices substantially last year to offset higher fuel costs and higher prices for ingredients, parts and labor. Now, some of those costs are coming down. Freight-payments group Cass Information Systems says inferred rates in its Cass Freight Index fell 2.2% in December and that U.S. domestic shipping prices are on track to fall 5% this year, and loose capacity and lower fuel costs could send costs even lower. Xeneta says spot container rates from Asia to the U.S. West Coast were down about 80% in December from the year before, and contract rates are also slipping.
 

There may be some light coming to a dark spot in retail inventory management. Google Cloud says it has developed an artificial-intelligence tool designed to help merchants better track the merchandise on their shelves. The WSJ’s Isabelle Bousquette reports the Alphabet subsidiary's tool analyzes videos and images from the retailer’s own ceiling-mounted cameras, camera-equipped self-driving robots and store workers. The idea has been around for a while, but retailers have been put off by the cost and complexity of deploying cameras on a big scale. The new plan would help solve what’s essentially become a guessing game for retailers, as tight inventory management inevitably gives way to the uncertainty of store operations. Experts say it could help retailers replenish items faster to boost sales. It could also provide the granular data store owners need to make more use of their consumer outlets for online fulfillment. 

OPEC warned that China’s reopening could be bumpier than expected. (WSJ)

A measure of New York state manufacturing activity fell this month to the lowest level since May 2020. (MarketWatch)

Whirlpool is turning over much of its appliance business in Europe to a new entity controlled by a Turkish appliance maker. (WSJ)

Technology and engineering company Emerson Electric is offering $7 billion to acquire National Instruments. (WSJ)

Japanese consumer-goods supplier Lion took a 36% stake in Vietnamese medical-products maker Merap Holding. (Nikkei Asia)

The Ocado Retail online fulfillment business jointly owned with Marks & Spencer is coping with overcapacity in its warehousing operations. (Financial Times)

The largest shareholder in Euronav is seeking the ouster of the tanker operator’s board. (Lloyd’s List)

Tanker owner International Seaways expects to report its best results ever for the fourth quarter. (TradeWinds)

Belgian authorities found 2.4 metric tons of cocaine on a Mediterranean Shipping container ship after investigating a false bomb threat against the vessel. (Maritime Executive)

FTR says more trucking companies folded in December than in any month since 2005. (Fleet Owner)

Trucker XPO Logistics named former Guggenheim Partners automotive analyst Ali Faghri chief strategy officer. (Transport Dive)

RoadOne Intermodal Logistics acquired Texas-based port trucker The Transporter for an undisclosed sum. (Journal of Commerce)

U.S. regulators warned big railroads of enforcement action if the carriers don’t improve their training and certification programs. (Trains)

Hopes for a Valentine’s Day boost for beleaguered airfreight operators are wilting. (The Loadstar)

Midwestern U.S. discount grocer Save A Lot is closing two distribution centers as it transitions to becoming a wholesale supplier. (Business Journals)

German freight forwarder Dachser acquired Dutch provider Transportgroep A. Muller. (ShippingWatch)

High school sports programs continue to have trouble getting equipment because of supply chain issues. (Transportation Today)

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 Twitter at @WSJLogistics.