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As US government shutdown occurs, stocks fall and gold reaches record levels.

Wall Street futures dropped, gold reached a record-high and the dollar eased as the U.S. Government shut down most of its operations on Wednesday, potentially delaying the release crucial jobs data which could cloud the interest rate outlook.

The government shutdown, which has no way out of its impasse regarding a funding agreement, will halt the release a closely-watched September employment report. It could also lead to the furloughing of 750,000 federal employees at a cost of $400,000,000 per day.

S&P 500 and Nasdaq Futures both fell 0.5% on Tuesday. Gold prices rose to $3,875 per ounce in the third consecutive session, reaching a new record high. European futures showed little change.

Investors may give greater weight to the ADP National Employment Report, due later today. Forecasts predict a modest increase of 50,000 jobs in the private sector.

"Typically, a shut down is not important for the markets. The 2018-2019 shutdown lasted over a full month and actually led to a rise in Wall Street, according to Kyle Rodda.

Rodda said that the markets face two issues. The first is the delayed release of non-farm payrolls. He said that "President Trump has also warned of permanently laying off workers which could turn this shutdown into a mini labour market shock".

The Federal Reserve is now expected to cut rates in October by 96%, up from 90% a day ago, and there's a 74% chance that they will do so again in December.

Anthony Saglimbene is the chief market strategist for Ameriprise. He said that if shutdown continues, inflation reports from September could be affected by mid-October.

He said that a prolonged period in which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was not fully operational could impact data collection efforts and the quality of data for other reports.

The Nikkei 225 index of Japan fell 1% on Wednesday after a 11% increase in the previous quarter. South Korean shares increased by 0.8% to add to their 11.5% gains in the previous quarter. This was after data revealed that exports rose in September at the fastest rate in 14 months.

Taiwan's stocks gained 1%. The island's chief tariff negotiator stated on Wednesday that Taiwan would not accept a deal to have half of all semiconductor manufacturing take place in Washington.

Chinese markets are closed, including Hong Kong.

Overnight Wall Street closed the quarter in a positive way, with a higher closing price. The data showed that U.S. employment increased slightly in August, but hiring decreased and consumer confidence dropped more than expected.

The dollar index fell for the fourth consecutive day on foreign exchange markets. It was down last by 0.2% at 97.62.

After a Bank of Japan report showed that confidence among large Japanese manufacturers had improved for the second quarter, it was down 0.3% to 147.53yen. This increased the likelihood of an interest rate increase as early as this month.

Asia's Treasury yields were stable. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield in the United States was unchanged at 4.1522% after rising 1 basis point overnight.

The oil prices rose on Wednesday, after two days of consecutive losses. Investors weighed the potential plans of OPEC+ to increase output next month with the possibility of shrinking U.S. inventories.

U.S. crude oil climbed 0.4% to $62.64 per barrel while Brent rose 0.4% at $66.32.

(source: Reuters)