Fed Decides Economy by 2025 Data So Outdated It Might Be From Mars

KEY POINTS

•Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will announce the last 2025 interest rate decision on December 10 amid data delays.
•A record-long government shutdown interrupted key economic reports, forcing the Fed to rely on sparse and last-minute data.
•The Fed may cut rates to lower borrowing costs, but limited information creates uncertainty about the economy's health.

The Federal Reserve’s grand finale for 2025 arrives December 10, starring Chair Jerome Powell, juggling a rate cut decision while haunted by a record-long government shutdown that essentially gave the Bureau of Labor Statistics a long coffee break. Missing October’s CPI and unemployment data, and scrambling to rely on last-minute reports due on the meeting day itself, the Fed’s picture of the economy is so blurry even a foghorn would ask for directions. With a 90% older-than-milk chance of a quarter-point rate cut — which may lower mortgage and credit card costs but also slash savers' interest — the Fed’s balancing act is like trying to juggle flaming bowling pins on a unicycle. Add a cameo role from ex-President Trump apparently itching to nominate a new chair in January, and you’ve got the plot of a financial soap opera where surprise rate reshuffles are the cliffhanger.