The U.S. government shutdown has significantly impacted the financial markets and the release of economic data. The decision date for the Litecoin ETF application by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has passed, but a decision has not been made due to the government shutdown. The SEC has established a work plan for the shutdown period, pausing the review and approval of new financial product applications.

This means that no new cryptocurrency ETF products will appear in the market before the U.S. government resumes normal operations. In addition, the labor market data that was scheduled for release will also be delayed.

If the government shutdown continues into next week, the September Consumer Price Index (CPI), a core inflation indicator for the United States, may face a longer delay. Compared to the employment report, the compilation process for the CPI is more complex, and the latest CPI data, originally scheduled for release on October 15, may not be published on time.

If the shutdown lasts more than three weeks, the October jobs report originally scheduled for release on November 7 will also be delayed. It is noteworthy that, due to a large number of federal government employees being forced to take leave, the unemployment rate for October may temporarily rise from the current 4.3% to about 5%. However, the unemployment rate is expected to gradually return to normal levels next month.

What is even more concerning is that if the government shutdown continues beyond October 24, relevant departments may not be able to collect enough data to calculate the inflation rate for the month. This will result in the CPI, Producer Price Index (PPI), and Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (PCE) for October being unable to be released, preventing the Federal Reserve from accurately grasping the latest inflation trends.

Economists warn that a prolonged government shutdown could severely impact the collection and analysis of economic data, thereby affecting policy-making and market decisions. As the shutdown continues, its negative impact on financial markets and the economy may further intensify.