Missing U.S. PPI Report Adds Uncertainty Ahead of FOMC Decision

The U.S. Labor Department has confirmed that it will not release the October Producer Price Index (PPI) inflation report after failing to collect essential data during the government funding lapse. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also noted it couldn’t gather October unemployment figures and will now combine both the October and November PPI updates into one release scheduled for January 14, 2026.

The unexpected cancellation comes during a critical week as the Federal Reserve prepares for its December policy meeting. The PPI report is a key indicator watched by the Fed because wholesale price pressures often foreshadow changes in consumer inflation. Despite the data gap, current projections still point to a likely rate cut this week, reducing the immediate policy impact of the missing report. However, the absence of fresh October figures forces policymakers to rely on older data and alternative indicators, adding uncertainty to the broader economic outlook.

Markets and analysts who depend heavily on timely inflation trends now face a temporary information void. The missing October PPI leaves questions about whether previous signs of easing price pressures continued. Investors must now wait until January for clarity when the combined report is published. This delay has contributed to cautious market sentiment, with Bitcoin and other risk assets trading within narrow ranges ahead of the FOMC meeting.

Businesses monitoring production costs are also affected, as planning for early 2026 becomes more challenging without updated inflation data. The situation highlights how vulnerable economic reporting is to government funding disruptions. With the BLS warning that only limited October inflation data will be available, the lost PPI report joins a growing list of postponed economic releases, ultimately leaving analysts and policymakers with fewer signals to assess real-time economic conditions.