'Yikes': Top investment bank looks under the hood of the economy and finds 'the labor market doesn't look that good'

A leading investment bank has delivered an arresting diagnosis of the U.S. economy: the labor market, long a pillar of resilience, may be in real trouble. In their latest economic outlook, UBS economists led by Jonathan Pingle painted a picture of mounting weakness that extends well beyond headline job numbers, warning of a growing risk to households and the broader recovery.

The latest “US Economics Weekly” note from the Swiss investment bank came with bated breath ahead of the impending end of the federal government shutdown. Economists and market-watchers have been deprived of federal economic data for over 40 days, something that former Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Erica Groshen likened to “ flying blind ” in late October. If the government does reopen, Pingle’s team said