Trust these numbers? Economists see a lot of flaws in delayed CPI report showing downward inflation

Core Insights - The consumer price report for November showed a lower-than-expected annual inflation rate of 2.7%, with core CPI at 2.6%, both below economists' estimates of 3.1% and 3% respectively [2] - The release of the November data was delayed due to a U.S. government shutdown, and the cancellation of October data led to unclear methodological assumptions regarding prior months' inflation levels [3] - Analysts noted that the surprising decline in inflation may be influenced by methodological issues, with some categories potentially reflecting 0% inflation, leading to uncertainty in interpreting the data [4]