Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics. said the impact on the economy and financial markets will be limited if the federal government shutdown lasts just a week or two.

Many federal employees will not be paid during the shutdown and household budgets will be squeezed. The U.S. Senate Federal Credit Union is offering a federal shutdown relief loan.

How much economic chaos could the shutdown of the federal government trigger?

We’ll know soon enough if the shutdown that began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, drags beyond a few more hours or days. It’s all about duration — and any kinks already in place.

Wall Street opened relatively calmly Wednesday, some nine-and-a-half hours into the shutdown. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was trading at 46,356.25 points, down 41.64 poi

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