US Economy Will Only Get Murkier If Key Data Is Delayed In Shutdown

Any postponement could hamper key policy decisions, such as whether the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates again when it meets next month. (Source: Bloomberg) Show Quick Read Summary is AI Generated. Newsroom Reviewed

Lawmakers are careening toward a shutdown of the federal government that could deprive policymakers, business leaders and investors of critical data they need to assess the state of the US economy.

Many federal operations will pause and nonessential employees will be furloughed or fired if lawmakers can’t reach an agreement by the time the current fiscal year ends on Tuesday. That would likely delay the release of gold standard government economic releases, including — first and foremost — the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Given uncert