Commodities Traders Are in the Dark Without U.S. Government Data
- The 12-day shutdown leaves some markets without key reports
- Biggest impact is in agriculture markets; metals less affected
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As commodities traders return from holiday breaks, they face day 12 of the U.S. government partial shutdown -- and some confront increasing challenges to get market information.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is releasing some reports, but not all (see box below). The Energy Information Administration is funded through September and continuing to release weekly figures on oil and gas stockpiles and monthly production numbers. And the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has stopped releasing its weekly Commitments of Traders reports, which track managed money across oil, agriculture and metals markets.