After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, multiple agencies like the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that critical data-series such as employment, inflation, consumer spending and GDP were delayed or incomplete. As a result, the article explains, economists and the Federal Reserve may be operating “in the fog” because their usual indicators are unavailable.
Experts quoted note that this lack of data could hamper effective policy decisions and extend economic uncertainty. However, the claim that all data stopped entirely or that markets cannot adjust is over-stated, since some private-sector sources and partial federal releases continue to provide information.
