Josh Funk

AP Business Writer

Your Complete Guide to Inventory Forecasting

Your Complete Guide to Inventory Forecasting

An accurate inventory forecast is invaluable, especially when supply chains and consumer demand are changing rapidly. Effective inventory forecasting can mean the difference between profitability and piles of unsold goods that eat up your available cash.

In this July 31, 2018, file photo a Union Pacific train travels through Union, Neb. A federal judge has ruled that the nation's four largest railroads can't exclude details of their conversations from lawsuits challenging billions of dollars of charges the railroads imposed in the past. The ruling on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, undercuts one of the defenses Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX and Norfolk Southern had offered in dozens of lawsuits major companies filed last year questioning the way railroads set rates.

Judge: Railroad Talks Should be Included in Lawsuits

Price-fixing allegations have been winding their way through U.S. courts for more than a decade.

Amid concerns of the spread of COVID-19, Giovani Garcia sorts chicken at the butcher area of El Rancho grocery store in Dallas, Monday, April 13, 2020.

Virus Closes Meat Plants

The closures have raised fears of shortages.

In this May 10, 2019 photo, Brett Adams stands where the road to his flooded farm disappears under flood waters, with the farm buildings visible in the background, in Peru, Neb. Adams had thousands of acres under water, about 80 percent of his land, this year. The water split open his grain bins and submerged his parents' house and other buildings when the levee protecting the farm broke.

Flooded Farmers Face Growing Dilemma

Floods are the 'new normal.'

Union Pacific Sues to Nullify 1872 Jobs Pact

The agreement requires the company keep a certain number of jobs in an East Texas town indefinitely.

In this May 7, 2018, file photo Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett speaks during an interview in Omaha, Neb., with Liz Claman on Fox Business Network's 'Countdown to the Closing Bell.' Buffett said Greg Abel and Ajit Jain, the two potential successors he named, earned roughly $18 million last year managing Berkshire Hathaway’s dozens of operating companies. Buffett appeared on CNBC Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, after releasing his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders over the weekend. He reiterated Monday that Abel and Jain have both done a great job since they joined Berkshire’s board last January.

Buffett Has No Plans to Retire

In a recent interview, he also admitted that Berkshire Hathaway overpaid for its acquisition of Kraft Heinz.

VW spokesman Michael Brendel says the German automaker’s supervisory board is checking whether it can demand damage claims from former VW CEO Martin Winterkorn in connection with the company's diesel emissions cheating scandal. German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported Sunday May 6, 2018 that Winterkorn could stand to lose his entire property in connection with the company’s investigation.

Could VW Board Sue its Former CEO?

Martin Winterkorn was indicted Thursday in the U.S. on charges of fraud and conspiracy, but his legal troubles are far from over.

This Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 file photo shows sorghum at a farm in Waukomis, Okla. American sorghum farmers fear they will lose their largest export market if China follows through with a tariff on their crop. China imposed preliminary anti-dumping tariffs of 178.6 percent on U.S. sorghum in mid-April 2018 as part of its ongoing trade dispute with the U.S.

Sorghum Faces Crippling Tariff

China imposed preliminary anti-dumping tariffs of 178.6 percent on U.S. sorghum this week.

In this Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, file photo, Warren Buffett attends the world premiere screening of HBO's 'Becoming Warren Buffett' at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Buffett said he’s investing heavily in Apple, believing that once consumers begin using the company’s products they aren’t likely to stop. Buffett said on CNBC Monday, Feb. 27, 2017, that Berkshire Hathaway holds about 133 million shares of Apple after buying more stock earlier this year.

Buffett Bets Big on Apple

And he is normally leery of technology companies.

In this Monday, May 4, 2015, file photo, Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett speaks during an interview with Liz Claman on the Fox Business Network in Omaha, Neb. Buffett has a high-class problem: cash is piling up at Berkshire Hathaway faster than he can invest it.

Buffett's Cash Piling Up

The man has the kind of money problem most people would envy: a growing mountain (almost $73 billion) of cash.

n this Nov. 19, 2014 file photo, a CSX freight train plows its way past the Cemetery Rd. overpass in Lancaster, N.Y CSX railroad plans to continue cutting costs this year to deal with slowing freight volume and declining profits. Executives at the Jacksonville, Fla., based railroad discussed their outlook Wednesday, April 13, 2016, one day after reporting a 19 percent drop in first quarter profit. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

CSX Continues Cuts

CSX said it reduced expenses by about $270 million and plans additional cuts. About 2,000 workers have been furloughed and 400 of the railroad's locomotives are parked.

Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

Buffett: U.S. Economy Better Than Portrayed

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Saturday that the nation's economy is in better shape than the presidential candidates make it seem, though businesses like his still face challenges.