AP reader question: How might the federal shutdown affect the economy?

Here’s a question about the shutdown submitted by an Associated Press reader, Ryan S.:

How might the shutdown affect the U.S. economy?

Shutdowns of the federal government usually don’t leave much economic damage. But the one that started Wednesday looks riskier , not least because President Donald Trump is threatening to use the standoff to permanently eliminate thousands of government jobs , and the state of the economy is already precarious.

For now, financial markets are shrugging off the impasse as just the latest failure of Republicans and Democrats to agree on a budget and keep the government running.

Let’s take a look at a range of possible economic effects:

1. A couple of days: Financial markets may experience some fluctuation, but that likely won’t be significant if fun