October US Inflation Report at Risk Even If Last Month Salvaged

The US government shutdown threatens to erode the quality of one of the nation’s most important inflation statistics — if there even is a report at all.

Policymakers, economists and investors are already worried about how October’s consumer price index, due for release next month, will be affected by the government shutdown. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics was directed to recall some staff to prepare the September CPI in a rare exception, the agency hasn’t been able to collect any new price information since the Oct. 1 closure.

“Starting now, accuracy is getting worse,” Omair Sharif, president of ...