Two monthly jobs reports have fallen victim to the longest US government shutdown and a key inflation snapshot due in the coming week is also in jeopardy, illustrating a thickening data fog for a Federal Reserve that’s the most divided in recent memory.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics was scheduled to report the October consumer price index on Thursday, yet the government’s closure has not only delayed its release but also halted in-person data collection. It’s increasingly likely the BLS will forgo issuing an October CPI report altogether.