The government shutdown in the US is a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the blood spatter will probably prevent us from learning key details about the American economy in a timely fashion. But that’s only an added layer of complexity for the BSP, which has had to endure unprecedented levels of abnormality from the US since the Trump takeover of the government closed in January. Consensus appears to be that the recent storms (and the apprehension of further storms) will cause the BSP to leave interest rates unchanged should those events cause disruptions in the supply chain for various food items, leading to price increases due to scarcity. Banks are loving it. People are drowning, literally and figuratively.