Molly Smith

White House National Economic Director Kevin Hassett said the record-long government shutdown means that some of the economic data that was supposed to be collected in October may never be recorded, making it difficult to get a comprehensive look at the health of the US economy.

US mortgage rates fell to a fresh one-year low, encouraging more homeowners to refinance and drawing prospective buyers into the market.

Private-sector measures suggest US inflation picked up in September, offering more evidence of tariffs boosting certain prices in the absence of official government metrics.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics has recalled staff to prepare a key inflation report that is necessary to calculate the size of next year’s Social Security checks, according to a Labor Department official with knowledge of the matter.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said it will publish the September consumer price index on Oct. 24, marking a rare exception to release data during the government shutdown.

Applications for mortgages to buy a home or refinance both fell for a second week, marking a swift reversal of what had been a hopeful sign of a revival in the US housing market.

The US economy grew in the second quarter at the fastest pace in nearly two years as the government revised up its previous estimate of consumer spending.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the first time this year and penciled in two more for next year, pointing to growing signs of weakness in the labor market.

Erika McEntarfer, who was fired as commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics last month, said official notice of her dismissal came as a complete surprise in a short email from the White House.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is hiring price collectors for a key inflation metric that’s increasingly relying on a statistical guessing method to compensate for lost staff.