The risk of a delay to Friday's U.S. jobs release as a potential government shutdown looms could deal financial markets a huge blow, analysts say. The U.S. Labor Department said on Friday that it would not issue the non-farm payrolls report this week if the government is shutdown. And that prospect is looking more likely after U.S. lawmakers failed to reach an agreement at the weekend over the federal budget ahead of the October 1 deadline. The non-farm payrolls report, a snapshot of employment conditions in the world's largest economy, is widely seen as the most important U.S. economic indicator. (full story)