#A US government shutdown looms. Here’s how U.S. stocks performed during past closures - morning star - https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20241220266/a-government-shutdown-looms-heres-how-us-stocks-performed-during-past-closures

There have been six government shutdowns since 1978 that lasted five days or more, and the S&P 500 Index SPX gained in the four most recent shutdowns. That history is shown in the table above, which comes from a Friday note by Brian Gardner, chief Washington policy strategist at Stifel.

So what does all the D.C. drama mean for investors?

One strategist, Wells Fargo Investment Institute's Paul Christopher, said his team prefers to "look through any shutdown."

"Even if a shutdown occurs, we believe there is likely to be little economic or financial-market impact," Christopher, whose title is head of global investment strategy, wrote in a note. "Any shutdown would affect discretionary spending, not Social Security or Medicare payments. Discretionary spending is a relatively small portion of total federal spending, and in our view, a short shutdown is likely to be easily recovered through catch-up payments once a new resolution is in place."