[Analyst Says Data Shortage May Impact Fed's December Rate Cut Plan] Inflation Insights analyst Omair Sharif stated that the U.S. government shutdown leading to a lack of official economic data could hinder the Federal Reserve's plan to cut rates for the third consecutive time at its December meeting. If official data reflecting October and November economic activity is unavailable by the December 10 meeting, Fed officials may find it difficult to reach a consensus on rate cuts, especially considering the internal disagreements shown in the September dot plot.