The government shutdown halted the release of key economic data, choking off the flow of information as some experts warn the economy may be slipping toward a recession, some economists told ABC News.A federal agency postponed the release of a monthly jobs report on Friday, leaving observers in the dark about the status of a sharp hiring slowdown.If the government shutdown stretches into next week, fresh inflation figures will go unreported, masking price levels in the midst of rising costs.Jim Reid, a research strategist at Deutsche Bank, in a memo to clients on Monday, lamented the "data vacuum."Government shutdown updates: 'There's nothing for us to negotiate,' Johnson says amid shutdownThe absence of government data heightens uncertainty at a fraught moment for the U.S.
economy, potentially hamstringing responses from consumers, businesses and policymakers, some economists told ABC News.The extent of possible shutdown-induced economic damage could also go undetected, they added."It adds to risk and uncertainty at a most inopportune time," Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate, told ABC News.
"Now we’re all essentially looking through a fog."The government shutdown entered its sixth day on Monday.The Senate has rejected dueling funding proposals from Democrats and Republicans in four separate votes, most recently on Friday.The U.S.
Department of Labor last week said some data would not be released during the shutdown, including closely watched monthly jobs and inflation reports.The Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau -- two important sources of additional data -- also said they will pause scheduled releases for the duration of a shutdown.The loss of data has arrived at an uneasy period for the economy.
In recent months, the economy has suffered a sharp hiring slowdown alongside a rise in inflation, setting the conditions for what economists call "stagflation."The downshift in hiring has proven especially worrisome, stoking concern ...