The core inflation rate (which excludes food and energy) is also projected to remain steady at 3.1%, signaling that price pressures are still sticky — especially in housing, healthcare, and services.
The data, originally delayed by the government shutdown, will now play a major role in shaping the Federal Reserve’s late-October meeting, where traders are already betting on a 0.25% rate cut, with another likely in December.
Analysts say the report will offer a clearer picture of how the Trump administration’s trade policies have filtered into consumer prices amid an uncertain economic outlook.
Until then, markets are in a holding pattern — with many investors saying they’re “flying blind” without official data releases.