Data Blackout Continues As 34-Day Shutdown Ties For The Longest In History

At 34 days, this government shutdown is now tied as the longest in U.S. history.

This year’s shutdown affects all government agencies and statistical services, whereas previous shutdowns were only partial since some agencies were funded by Congress.

Several key economic reports have been delayed by the shutdown, including the jobs report, inflation data and retail sales report.


It’s a government shutdown like no other.

It's the 34th day of the government shutdown that began on Oct. 1, tying it with the longest-ever government shutdown that took place in 2018. That shutdown also lasted 34 days, but wasn’t a full government work stoppage like this one, since some government agencies were funded through congressional appropriations before that shutdown began. Before that, there was a partial shutdown in 1995 that went for 21 days.

The shutdown has halted the flow of key economic data from the government that's used by economists, policymakers and businesses to make critical decisions. Reports from statistical agencies like the Census Bureau, Department of Labor, and Department of Agriculture are all on hold because they lack the staffing to administer the surveys and data collection.

The U.S. government shutdown presents another significant threat to the economy alongside headwinds from tariffs, immigration and inflation. The longer investors and officials go without key economic data, the greater the risk of making mistakes based on outdated or imperfect information.

So far, the shutdown has delayed October releases on U.S. employment levels, retail sales and new home sales. It’s also likely to delay another release of the U.S. jobs report, which was originally scheduled for Friday.

The current shutdown is poised to continue for days or even weeks, according to betting market Polymarket. The prediction market found that 63% of respondents expect the standoff to continue until Nov. 15, while only 14% expect it to be over by this Friday.

Here’s a list of all the government reports that have been delayed by the shutdown.

Data Drought: The list of unreleased government reports grows longer as the showdown drags on.

Date

Report

Statistical Agency

Oct. 1

Construction Spending

Census Bureau

Oct. 1

Grain Crushings

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 1

Fats and Oils

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 2

Motor Vehicle Sales

Bureau of Economic Analysis

Oct. 2

Export Sales

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 2

Weekly Jobless Claims

Department of Labor

Oct. 2

Factory Orders

Census Bureau

Oct. 3

Employment Situation

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Oct. 6

Crop Progress

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 7

International Trade in Goods and Services

Bureau of Economic Analysis

Oct. 8

Business Formation

Census Bureau

Oct. 9

Weekly Jobless Claims

Department of Labor

Oct. 9

Export Sales

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 9

Wholesale Sales and Inventories (Preliminary)

Census Bureau

Oct. 9

Supply/Demand (agricultural products)

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 9

Crop Production

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 14

Crop Progress

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 15

Real Earnings

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Oct. 16

Weekly Jobless Claims

Department of Labor

Oct. 16

Producer Price Index

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Oct. 16

Retail Sales

Census Bureau

Oct. 17

Export Sales

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 17

Import and Export Prices

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Oct. 17

Housing Starts

Census Bureau

Oct. 17

Industrial Production

Federal Reserve

Oct. 17

Treasury International Capital

Treasury Department

Oct. 20

Crop Progress

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 23

Weekly jobless claims

Department of Labor

Oct. 23

Export sales

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 24

Cattle on feed

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 24

Cold storage

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 24

New home sales

Census Bureau

Oct. 27

Durable-goods orders

Census Bureau

Oct. 27

Crop progress

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 29

Advanced U.S. trade Balance in Goods

Census Bureau

Oct. 29

Advanced Retail Inventories

Census Bureau

Oct. 29

Advanced Wholesale Inventories

Census Bureau

Oct. 30

Weekly Jobless Claims

Department of Labor

Oct. 30

Q3 Gross Domestic Product

Bureau of Economic Analysis

Oct. 30

Export Sales

Department of Agriculture

Oct. 31

Personal Consumption Expenditure Index

Bureau of Economic Analysis

Oct. 31

Q3 Employment Cost Index

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Oct. 31

Farm Prices

Department of Agriculture

Nov. 3

Construction Spending

Census Bureau

Nov. 3

Export Inspections

Department of Agriculture

Nov. 3

Crop Progress

Department of Agriculture

Nov. 3

Grain Crushings

Department of Agriculture

Nov. 3

Fats and Oils

Department of Agriculture

Nov. 4

Trade Balance

Census Bureau

Nov. 4

Factory Orders

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Nov. 4

Job Openings

Bureau of Labor Statistics

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