IMF sees signs of US economic strain but lack of data due to shutdown clouds picture

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The International Monetary Fund is seeing signs of strain in the U.S. economy with fourth-quarter growth likely decelerating from previous forecasts, but a lack of data due to the government shutdown has clouded its ability to assess U.S. economic performance, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday.

Kozack told a regular news briefing that the IMF has delayed its annual “Article IV” policy consultations with U.S. authorities because the shutdown prevented some preparatory work, with rescheduled timing not yet set.

(Reporting by David Lawder, Andrea Shalal and Rodrigo Campos; editing by Diane Craft)