Economists Warn of Distorted Inflation Data as White House Touts New Report

MAGA media praise November inflation report that economists caution is a mirage

Even as multiple economists were explaining that the November 2025 Consumer Price Index inflation report was distorted due to the recent government shutdown, MAGA media figures were celebrating the slightly lower than expected annualized inflation reading of 2.7%. Trump sycophants, especially on Fox, praised the report, congratulated President Donald Trump, and suggested that it vindicated his economic policies that contributed to a stumbling ec…

Economists warn of distorted inflation data as White House touts new report

Economists are warning that Thursday’s inflation report could end up being less instructive than usual after the government shutdown hamstrung data collection. One example: The Labor Department decided to estimate October housing costs as static, likely making overall inflation in the report appear cooler than it really is. “The November inflation report was like the data-nerd equivalent of the emperor-with-no-clothes story: We didn’t have basic…

US inflation unexpectedly falls to 2.7pc, but data ‘distorted’ by shutdown

Underlying US inflation rose in November at the slowest annual pace since early 2021, an unexpected improvement in a report muddled by the government shutdown.

CPI report with shutdown voids raises doubts about US inflation data

CPI report with shutdown voids raises doubts about US inflation data Molly Smith Bl… Sat, 12/20/2025 - 13:33 Body After long-awaited government data showed underlying U.S. inflation cooled to a fouryear low in November, economists agreed on at least this much: something was off.In a report fouled by the record-long government shutdown, inflation in several categories that had long been stubborn seemed to nearly evaporate. Chief among those were…

US inflation cools to 2.7% in November as shutdown clouds the data

The year-over-year inflation rate cooled more than expected in November, landing at 2.7% — a softer reading than the 3.1% forecast. The print is also lower than September’s 3%, which is the last month for which full data is available. It was the first inflation report released since the government shutdown that ran from October to roughly mid-November, disrupting data collection. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said it won’t be able to calculate …