Bitcoin’s next Fed test comes with a hidden problem in America’s inflation data

Bitcoin faces another Federal Reserve interest-rate decision as the US struggles to restore the surveys underpinning its inflation figures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics collected 66.3% of targeted price observations in its commodities-and-services survey in September, according to figures updated October 19 . That was a modest improvement from 65.9% in August but remained below the 67.6% recorded a year earlier. The shortfall comes as the agency rebuilds data-collection operations after staffing and survey reductions introduced in 2025, with restoration still incomplete ahead of the Federal Reserve's October 27–28 policy meeting.