(MENAFN) The US dollar weakened by more than 0.27% on Wednesday following Congress’s failure to pass a temporary budget, triggering a federal government shutdown.

By 1335 GMT (9:35 a.m. EDT), the dollar index—which measures the dollar’s strength against six major currencies including the euro and Japanese yen—dropped to 97.19.

This decline pushed the dollar’s total loss for 2025 to 10%, marking its steepest annual decrease since 2003, when it fell 14.6%.

The deadlock in Congress on the temporary budget forced the government closure, leading to the suspension of key economic data releases by federal agencies.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced in its emergency protocol that no economic data would be published during the shutdown, delaying critical reports such as non-farm payrolls, initial jobless claims, and inflation statistics.

While a shutdown does not automatically provoke an economic crisis, it significantly disrupts many facets of daily life in the US.

Thousands of federal workers are either being furloughed without pay or placed on mandatory leave until a new budget is passed. Shutdown plans vary by agency, with each deciding which employees are deemed essential.

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