Agency: US government shutdown nears end, investors look forward to data guidance

Simon Ballard, chief economist at First Abu Dhabi Bank, said in a report that while progress had been made towards ending the US government shutdown, markets would remain unnavigated as long as mainstream economic data remained missing. This left investors in a confused direction and vulnerable to short-term headline risks, the economist said. "In addition, we expect interest rate volatility and uncertainty to remain high for the foreseeable future," he added. The current US government shutdown has now turned a corner, with the Senate clearing procedural hurdles to formally move forward with a bill to end the shutdown, with some Democratic lawmakers voting for it.