Economic data releases that have lagged during the government shutdown likely will take some time to get rolling again once Congress is back in business.
The reopening could happen as soon as the end of this week once final votes take place and President Donald Trump signs a stop-gap spending bill into law.
From there, though, it will take the various agencies, primarily in the Departments of Labor and Commerce, to get up and rolling again as it regards data collection and releases. That means likely having to play catch-up for key reports like nonfarm payrolls, the consumer price index, retail sales, spending and income and a variety of other metrics.
"The shutdown of the federal government has delayed nearly all federal economic data releases for September and October," Goldman Sachs economists Elsie Peng and Ronnie Walker said in a client note. "While the shutdown appears to be nearing its end, it will take time for the statistical agencies to work through the backlog of releases."
Assuming the government reopens before the end of the week, Goldman figures the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics will put out an updated schedule of releases in the early part of next week.
