Policy and upcoming releases · Preview
October 2026 inflation calendar: which money reports come next?
Track the scheduled October jobs, CPI, PPI, import-price, and PCE releases, with a clear distinction between release dates and measured months.
The schedule as October begins
BLS lists September employment for October 2, CPI and real earnings for October 14, PPI for October 15, and import/export prices for October 16, all at 8:30 a.m. Eastern. BEA lists September personal income and outlays for October 29. These dates were checked October 1; no September inflation result is asserted here.
A release date is not an inflation month
An October news headline may describe prices collected during September, or growth measured over a quarter. Write down both dates when comparing reports. A household making a payment today needs its current bill, while a market reacting to a release may focus on what changed from expectations. The two uses can legitimately produce different questions.
A simple report-reading worksheet
Before a release, record its index, reporting period, monthly or annual comparison, adjustment convention, and the previous estimate’s vintage. Afterward, add the actual result and any revision. For an invented example, a 0.2% monthly increase and a 3% annual increase are two distinct comparisons; neither should be silently substituted for the other.
What deserves attention after publication
Look beyond a headline surprise to breadth, revisions, and category contributions. Avoid treating a calendar entry as a forecast of a rate decision or a trade signal. Our CPI reading guide provides the measurement background. Recheck the linked agency schedules near release time, especially if an event changes publication plans.