Employers Probably Increased Hiring: U.S. Economy Preview

The floodgates holding back a wave of U.S. economic data delayed by the partial government shutdown will begin to give way this week with the release of the September jobs report.

Employers probably added more workers last month than in August and the jobless rate held at the lowest level since 2008, indicating the economy was gaining momentum before the fiscal gridlock in Washington forced some federal agencies to close for 16 days. Other figures this week may show home sales cooled in September and consumer sentiment waned this month.