The imminent US government shutdown that threatens to delay the publication of key economic data will test policymakers’ and investors’ trust in a range of less-regarded third-party indicators. Without critical figures like the Labor Department’s monthly employment report and a key inflation gauge from the Commerce Department, data from private-sector sources will take the spotlight. New trackers of job openings and economic activity have emerged in recent years, and well-established ones have reinvented themselves to better answer ongoing questions in the economy. Some of these indicators — including gauges of ... (full story)