The U.S. government shut down much of its operations on October 1 after Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement to extend funding past the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30.

The closure has shut off the flow of key economic data at a moment of uncertainty among policymakers and investors about the health of the U.S. job market, the trajectory of inflation and the strength of consumer spending and business investment.

The federal agencies responsible for indicators of U.S. economic activity, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau, have suspended the collection and distribution of nearly all data for the duration the shutdown, although the BLS on Friday said it would publish the Consumer Price Index for September on October 24. The report had been originally scheduled for October 15.

Much of the data from private-sector sources, however, will continue to be issued, although some of those series rely in part on earlier government reports and will also cease publication during the shutdown.(alg)

Source: Reuters