Investors have long parsed economic reports on the labor market or inflation to help determine prices for stocks and bonds. But after weak jobs data on Friday prompted President Trump to fire Erika McEntarfer, the top Bureau of Labor Statistics official, the sacrosanct importance of U.S. government data to investors suddenly came into doubt.

This is what the alarmists — the people who have worried that President Trump may seek to undermine the collection of economic data — feared. The big picture: The president's abrupt firing of the Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner Friday makes clear that any federal data collector who delivers unwelcome news could lose their job in an instant.

The monthly jobs report is already closely-watched on Wall Street and in Washington but has taken on a new importance after President Donald Trump on Friday fired the official who oversees it.

President Donald Trump plans to fill two important economic vacancies in the next 3-4 days, he said Sunday. The BLS commissioner and a vacancy on the Fed board.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he will announce a new head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics within three or four days. He fired BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after accusing her of faking jobs numbers,