"Thomas Simons and Michael Bacolas at Jefferies, a financial firm, wrote in a commentary Friday that over 30 reports from the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Commerce Department's Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau were delayed by the political standoff. The Labor Department did not release its weekly report on the number of Americans signing up for unemployment benefits for seven straight weeks. That jobless claims report is seen as a potential early indicator of where the labor market is headed."
"The Labor Department did release its consumer price index for September - the most popular measurement of inflation - nine days late on Oct. 24. The government made an exception for that report because of its urgency: It is used to calculate the annual cost of living adjustment for tens of millions of Americans receiving Social Security and other federal benefits."
The Labor Department delayed September hiring and unemployment data by about six weeks, ending a data blackout caused by a 43-day government shutdown. The blackout deprived the Federal Reserve, businesses, policymakers and investors of key inflation, employment, GDP and other economic measures. Over 30 reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Commerce Department's BEA and the Census Bureau were delayed by the political standoff. Weekly jobless claims were not released for seven weeks, removing an early indicator of labor-market direction. The consumer price index for September was released nine days late because it determines cost of living adjustments for millions receiving Social Security and other federal benefits. The interruptions coincided with policy uncertainty from tariffs and deportations and mixed signals including slowing job growth and inflation above the Federal Reserve's 2% target.
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