Gold and Bitcoin go through the roof as U.S. shutdown forces investors to trade in the dark

Photo: WASHINGTON, DC September 19: US President Donald Trump during the signing executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House on Friday September 19, 2025. President Trump signed a two executive orders establishing the "Trump Gold Card" and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas. The "Trump Gold Card" is a visa program that allows foreign nationals permanent residency and a pathway to U.S. citizenship. (Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images) (Credit: Demetrius Freeman—The Washington Post via Getty Images)

There is a 67% chance that the U.S. federal government shutdown will last longer than 10 days, according to bettors on Polymarket—and for stock traders, that will feel like an eternity. Most notes from Wall Street analysts this morning are bemoaning the lack of official macroeconomic data coming from the U.S.

The U.S. departments of labor and commerce will not publish any data until the shutdown ends. That means, through Oct. 16, at least 12 data releases—including the producer price index (inflation), nonfarm payrolls (jobs), and unemployment—won’t happen.