- by New Deal democrat
Not only are the markets closed today for President’s Day, but this entire week is about the emptiest I can ever recall for economic data. Literally the only data of note is going to be released on Thursday, and except for weekly jobless claims, even that is not what I would generally consider first-order metrics.
Even worse, we are still basically flying blind due to the government shutdown. The only data of note that had been on hiatus, and has been updated since it ended was last week’s retail sales for December. And that report was jarring enough to justify worrying that not only did the shutdown make us economically blind, but it itself may have further weakened an already weakening economy. So we may be in for some more jarring surprises when December housing starts and permits, December income and spending, and Q4 GDP finally get released next week.
There are a couple of series I’ve been meaning to update, so maybe I’ll get around to them. But, don’t be surprised if I don’t post any material for a day or two, or post a brief note on a political topic.
