Our government shut down October 1 with both sides vowing to not bend and give in. The last time we had an impasse was in 2008, during the passage of TARP, and the market reacted by falling 777 points. That was enough to get both sides negotiating a bit quicker. We also have the debt ceiling to deal with later this month. Failure to act would be very negative for the financial markets and the world economy. This is really the ordeal to watch- the debt-ceiling extension and our debt ceiling now stands at 16.7 trillion. If we reach an impasse, our debt will default. While the market has reacted in the past, I also believe it is becoming somewhat immune to the actions of our government.
How does this shutdown impact government services and benefits? People will still receive their mail from the U.S Postal Service, Social Security benefits and changes in address, food stamps, school meals, veteran compensation and burial benefits. National parks, museums, federal home loans, VA home loans, IRS suspension of all audit activities and passport operations are all affected by the shutdown and will be suspended until further appropriation of congressional funds. Unfortunately for our economy, it is projected that the shutdown will impact our economic growth by as much as 1.3 % in the 4rth quarter if it continues two weeks.