Data alternatives – and alternative data – to use during U.S. government shutdowns

The US government shutdown ended on January 25, but with funding only restored until this Friday (February 15), analysts, economists, and other data-dependent specialists may be again in need of reliable alternatives. The 35-day shutdown was the longest ever and left many users - even the Federal Reserve - without the data needed for investment and policy-making decisions.  The most notable gaps were in data collected and released by of the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Census Bureau, both under the Commerce Department. Also sidelined were the Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and its Economic Research...