1440 ET - Many economists believe that data-collection challenges caused by last fall's government shutdown artificially suppressed the year-over-year CPI inflation rate. The Federal Reserve's staff of economic researchers share that view, according to the minutes of the Fed's January meeting. The shutdown issues "likely pushed down the levels of the CPI and the PCE price index in November and December," the minutes say. (matt.grossman@wsj.com; @mattgrossman)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 18, 2026 14:40 ET (19:40 GMT)
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