Government shutdown halts data, stokes risk as economy wobbles, experts say

(WASHINGTON) — 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.”

The absence of government data heightens uncertainty at a fraught moment for the U.S. economy, potentially hamstringing responses from consumers, businesses and policymakers