In this article
Taken from CNBC’s Daily Open, our international markets newsletter — Subscribe today
After a seemingly unproductive meeting between lawmakers and U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, the chances that the country’s government will be shutting down two days later appear to be growing.
If the U.S. government shuts down, it’s essentially like a depressed millennial spending a week in bed having an existential crisis. That is to say, vital functions of the country, such as defence and healthcare, are preserved, but non-essential ones will be curtailed.
One of the offices that will pause functioning: the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which releases the jobs and inflation reports, on which the Federal Reserve relies to make rate decisions. Delayed or murky data means a foggier sea for Chair Jerome Powell to navigate.
