The rate of U.S. inflation stayed stuck close to 3% before the government shutdown, a long-delayed report showed, adding a final piece of the puzzle before the Federal Reserve votes on whether to cut interest rates again.

Wall Street's main indexes were poised for a muted open on Friday as investors awaited a long-delayed inflation report that could shape the Federal Reserve's policy path. Focus is on the Commerce Department's Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index,

Fed officials should be able to focus on the wavering labor market and cut interest rates by another quarter percentage point at their final meeting of the year next week, thanks to relatively stable inflation data.

Americans seemed a tad more cheery about the economy this month, while a delayed inflation report came in better than expected.

Key economic data includes a delayed September reading of the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge. Here's what to watch: Inflation data: September's personal-consumption expenditures price index,

Core inflation, a price measure closely watched by the Federal Reserve, came in cooler than expected in September, according to delayed federal data, a win for Republican President Donald Trump, who wants the central bank to cut interest rates more quickly and is under pressure from Democrats over affordability.

Stocks are back on the doorstep of record territory after a volatile month on Wall Street, but persistent inflation worries and souring consumer sentiment are keeping investors uneasy ahead of the Fed’s last policy meeting of the year.

Bank of America shared its inflation forecast with TheStreet, based on the core (excluding volatile food and energy) Personal Consumption Expenditures ( PCE) index. Directionally, PCE and CPI tend to move together, suggesting we’ll similarly see a flattening of inflation pressures as we get deeper into next year.

Key Takeaways Inflation in September showed a mixed trend with overall inflation accelerating and "core" inflation, which excludes food and energy, slowing down.The decrease in core inflation was unexpected and leaves the Federal Reserve on track to cut interest rates next week,