U.S. October Consumer Inflation Reaches 0.4% as Year-Over-Year Figures Stalled by Shutdown

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its October Consumer Price Index report on Tuesday, revealing that overall living costs rose 0.4 percent from the prior month. The monthly increase followed a 0.6 percent advance logged in September. Core consumer prices, which exclude the often volatile food and energy sectors, edged upward by 0.3 percent over the month. Because a federal government shutdown disrupted data gathering in October 2025, the agency was unable to provide direct official year-over-year figures for the month.

According to independent calculations derived by The New York Times, annual headline inflation ran at approximately 4 percent compared with the previous year's baseline, up from 3.7 percent recorded in September. Core prices rose around 2.8 percent over the corresponding timeframe. This inflation update represents the final comprehensive price reading available to Federal Reserve policymakers before their concluding policy gathering in December, as the November report is slated for release immediately after that decision.