What’s a ‘Lockup’ and Why It Matters for Markets

The news media may soon lose special access to a trove of market-moving data in the U.S. The Labor Department is said to be planning to follow the Department of Agriculture’s lead in denying journalists the chance to prepare in advance stories on important data releases. While the rationale hasn’t been made public, the shift could be designed to remove any edge that subscribers of news services have over the general public, even if it’s just a matter of seconds or milliseconds. Critics say the m