NOVEMBER 17, 2025 – – GOVERNMENT REOPENS, DATA RELEASES EXPECTED
Many of the federal government’s furloughed employees returned to work last week. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is planning to release the September jobs report this week, but accurate October inflation and employment numbers may not be available for a while, if at all.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics may not be able to replace the missing data for October, given the length of the shutdown. The data is collected through surveys and in-person data collections, which did not happen. This will leave the Federal Reserve in a difficult situation coming into their last meeting of the year in December.
Fed Chair Powell said at the October meeting that a rate cut in December was not a foregone conclusion. There are conflicting views within the Fed over the state of the economy and whether rates are at an appropriate level to support employment and not drive inflation. The next Fed meeting is set for December 9-10.