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jonny bacon

Faith in government data is slipping

Josie Allchin

One of the less noticed effects of the US shutdown has been the major disruption it has caused to government data collection. Since the shutdown came into effect on 1 October, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has stopped collecting price data and has also ceased its review of last month’s data. According to Forbes, it is very possible that the federal agency will not produce a consumer price index for October, resulting in a gaping hole in the country’s economic records that will hinder the decision making ability of politicians and businesses.