For those who follow the economy closely like Bankrate's Mark Hamrick the first Friday of the month is typically spent looking over new jobs data.

"A typical jobs report Friday is often the most consequential day of the month for those of us monitoring the economy, because the job market is so important," Hamrick said.

But because of a government shutdown, this Friday was different. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases the monthly labor data, is closed.

"Lacking this data, we're having to sort of walk with blinders on for every stakeholder in the U.S. economy, which is just about everybody," Hamrick said.

That includes the Federal Reserve, which relies on government economic data when it makes its interest rate decisions, says economics professor Abby Hall.

"This makes it mu

See Full Page