The U.S. Federal Reserve is grappling with a significant data blackout, the most severe since the 2008 financial crisis, due to the cessation of ADP's weekly employment data and a government shutdown. ADP stopped sharing its data in August over data governance issues, while the shutdown has paused official labor statistics. This situation leaves the Fed with limited insights into labor market trends, complicating its monetary policy decisions and heightening the risk of errors in inflation and employment evaluations.