The debate about whether to raise the debt ceiling and under what conditions has been loud, harsh and somewhat misleading. The debt ceiling is currently set at $14.2 trillion. They don't admit it, but lawmakers basically agree to raise the debt ceiling every time they vote for a spending hike or tax cut. So when they argue over the debt ceiling they are arguing over whether to pay the bills that have already been incurred. The likelihood of a default is virtually 0%. This is because the government still takes in more tax revenue each month than is needed to pay interest on its debt and the same for Social Security payments.
A great deal of what is happening in the media is political posturing and emotional rhetoric and this creates uncertainty. And uncertainty creates nervousness among consumers. And nervous businesses do not expand or hire. Overall, Corporate earnings for the past 6 months have been positive and the stock market has reacted well to good earnings news, but any gains are tempered by uncertainty of the future. Even though the market has been volatile as of late, we expect positive growth to continue, once the political show comes to an end.