Economists dispute November CPI after shutdown; imputed data drives 2.7% headline

On December 18, 2025, Wall Street economists questioned the reliability of November's CPI after a six‑week government shutdown curtailed data collection. According to Cryptopolitan, headline inflation was 2.7% versus a 3.1% forecast, with core at 2.6% against 3.0%, figures the BLS compiled with extensive imputation. Markets initially reacted but the moves faded.