Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the articles highlights a significant decline in job opportunities in the U.S. labor market due to the ongoing government shutdown, reaching the lowest level in four and a half years [1][2] - Indeed's job vacancy index dropped to 101.9 as of October 24, marking the lowest level since early February 2021, with a decrease of approximately 0.5% from the beginning of the month and about 3.5% from mid-August [1] - The last JOLTS report indicated that job vacancies in August remained at 7.23 million, roughly unchanged from July, but down about 7% from January of this year [1] Group 2 - The weakening labor market has raised concerns among Federal Reserve officials, leading to a decision to lower the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75%-4% [2] - Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook noted that hiring is slowing down, as evidenced by Indeed's data, and emphasized the importance of monitoring real-time data rather than solely relying on unemployment reports [2] - The October non-farm payroll report, originally scheduled for release, has been postponed due to the government shutdown, with economists predicting a decrease of 60,000 jobs and an increase in the unemployment rate to 4.5% [2]