PANews reported on December 5th that, according to Jinshi News, a key inflation indicator released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Friday showed that the inflation rate in September was lower than expected. This report, delayed due to the government shutdown, further signals a potential interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The core PCE price index, excluding volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2% month-on-month and 2.8% year-on-year. The monthly rate met expectations, but the year-on-year rate was 0.1 percentage points lower than expected. Furthermore, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, overall personal consumption expenditures rose 0.3% month-on-month, and the annual inflation rate was also 2.8%. Both figures were in line with expectations. Federal Reserve officials use the PCE price index as a primary policy tool for measuring inflation. While officials consider both overall and core data, they generally believe that the core data is a better indicator of long-term inflation trends. The report was delayed for several weeks due to the government shutdown, during which all data collection and economic reporting were suspended.


