• The US will not release consumer price reports for October due to a government shutdown.
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites inability to collect essential data during the shutdown.
• This data blackout complicates the Federal Reserve's decision-making ahead of their December meeting.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has announced that it will not release the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for October, which was affected by a recent government shutdown lasting **43 days**. The shutdown, which began on October 1, disrupted critical data collection operations, leading to this unprecedented cancellation, according to Reuters, India Times, and Al Jazeera.

The BLS stated it is "unable to retroactively collect" this data, which is critical for measuring inflation, and indicated that only a few non-survey data sources could be utilized for future reports. As a result, the October CPI values will be published along with the November data on December 18, according to India Times and Al Jazeera.

This cancellation also extends to the October employment report, contributing to further economic uncertainty ahead of the Federal Reserve's policy meeting scheduled for December 9-10. Analysts point out that the lack of updated inflation and labor market data complicates the Fed's decision-making process during a time when policymakers are balancing risks of inflation against a slowing job market, as highlighted by Reuters and India Times.

The Fed's chair, Jerome Powell, drawn on the analogy of "driving in the fog" when discussing the absence of data, indicating the challenges the central bank faces in making informed decisions without these critical statistics. The shutdown has not only led to the cancellation of the CPI but has also delayed other essential economic indicators, underlining the severe impact of the government closure on economic monitoring, according to Al Jazeera and India Times.