(Reuters) -The U.S. government on Tuesday appeared to be headed for a large-scale shutdown of federal operations starting on Wednesday – including a suspension of economic data publication – as Republicans and Democrats appeared unlikely to reach an agreement that would extend funding past a midnight deadline.

The key federal agencies responsible for indicators of U.S. economic activity, including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis and Census Bureau, have said they will suspend the collection and distribution of data in the event of a government shutdown. Those operations will resume once funding is restored.

Most data from private sources, however, will continue to be issued, although some private series based in part on earlier government reports will also ceas

See Full Page