Stock market usually ignores government shutdowns. Maybe not this time

The stock market has historically brushed off government shutdowns, but an especially acerbic congressional dispute over the latest funding bill could test that track record. On Friday, the U.S. Senate voted to block proposals from both Republicans and Democrats to keep the federal government funded on a short-term basis, without which Congress has no clear path forward to avoid a shutdown when the fiscal year ends after Sept. 30. Historically speaking, the stock market has shrugged off funding disputes. In fact, Raymond James found that stocks have risen in five previous government shutdowns, with the S & P 500, MidCap 400 and Small Cap 600 both gaining roughly 3% over those time periods. "Overall equity index performance has been positive in most funding gaps suggesting little evidence t