Friday Jobs Report To Be Released On Time Despite Sandy: Report

Despite the events surrounding Hurricane Sandy, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the October jobs report this Friday at 8:30 a.m. as scheduled, according to a tweet by The New York Times' Annie Lowrey.

MSNBC's Chuck Todd also tweeted the Labor Department news. The presidential election is scheduled for next Tuesday, November 6.

More From Reuters:

The U.S. government's report on employment in October will be released on Friday as scheduled, the Labor Department's statistical arm said on Wednesday in a statement on its website.

There had been speculation that the Bureau of Labor Statistics would postpone the report given that Sandy, the storm that devastated much of the East Coast in recent days, had led to a two-day shutdown of the government.

The monthly data is the most closely watched indicator of the U.S. economy's health and regularly sets the tone for financial markets worldwide. This week's report will receive particularly scrutiny, given that it is coming just four days ahead of the U.S. presidential election.

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