US October inflation report likely to be skipped as shutdown stops price surveys
The United States is likely to go without an inflation report for October, after the White House said on Friday that the shutdown had stopped the price surveys behind the figures.
In a statement, the White House said it had learned there would “likely NOT be an inflation release next month for the first time in history”. The Associated Press described it as the first such gap in more than seven decades.
The monthly Consumer Price Index, or CPI, is the government’s main measure of inflation. It tracks how the prices of everyday goods and services change. Most prices are gathered in person by government surveyors visiting shops across the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which compiles the report, said all data collection and publishing had stopped for as long as the shutdown lasts, apart from a small recall of staff to finish September’s figures.
The shutdown began on 1 October and was in its fourth week when the announcement was made. September’s CPI was published on Friday, nine days late, using data collected before the shutdown began. It showed prices had ticked higher, but by less than many economists had expected. The report was produced so the Social Security Administration could calculate its 2026 cost-of-living adjustment.
Why it matters
The gap matters because the Federal Reserve sets interest rates partly on the basis of inflation data. It raised rates sharply in 2022 and 2023 to fight the worst inflation in four decades, and has since been cutting them slowly as price rises have eased. At the same time, it is worried that a weakening jobs market could push the economy towards recession. Without October’s figures, the Fed, businesses and households will have less hard evidence about where prices are heading, ahead of the 3 November midterm elections, where the cost of living is a leading issue.
What happens next
Whether November’s report is affected depends on when the shutdown ends and data collection restarts. Steven Englander of Standard Chartered warned that November’s figures could also be partly disrupted. Erica Groshen, a former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, said it was “almost inevitable” that October’s data would be missed, and “very unlikely” that any October inflation figures would appear. Some economists argue it would be better to accept a gap than to publish a report built largely on estimates.
This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.
Sources
- https://trends.glance.com/story/articles/News/US/en/reuter/s-659d895289-ec0ed3bd-2747-5e7c-b4fb-d27a9eea56f7?utm_source=g&summary=false&utm_medium=v&sr=Glance&gpid=%24GPID&sdkv=%24BUILD_VERSION&gl_imp_id=%24IMP_ID&media_version=6300200&wpid=glc_308938&country_code=IN&isSupportPAW=true (Reuters, 30 October 2026)
- https://edition.pagesuite.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=ea99f568-ce95-4183-add5-a39a651b5984 (Associated Press, 30 October 2026)
