Investors Take Stock of Shutdown Talk: Stock Market Today
Whether we'll have a Jobs Friday this week depends on if we have a government shutdown in Washington.
During an otherwise quiet day for earnings and data, President Donald Trump was meeting with congressional leaders at the White House as the closing bell rang at the New York Stock Exchange Monday.
An iconic retailer will report its most recent financial results tomorrow, but if the president and the so-called "big four" from the House of Representatives and the Senate can't agree on a new budget bill by Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics will not release the September jobs report on Friday.
The White House is making plans in case the federal government shuts down at 12:01 am Eastern Standard Time Wednesday. The major question for investors as the clock ticks is what does a government shutdown mean for stocks?
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
As LPL Financial Chief Technical Strategist Adam Turnquist observes, "Government shutdowns introduce a new layer of uncertainty for markets, but fortunately, they tend to be short-lived and, as a result, have had minimal impact on the economy."
Turnquist explains that investors "have generally looked past budget-related disruptions, prioritizing corporate earnings, broader economic trends, and other key macroeconomic factors." He does, however, highlight the particular sensitivity of industries with heavy reliance on government contracts, such as aerospace and defense stocks and research-intensive biotech companies.
"These areas often experience short-term pullbacks due to funding uncertainty," Turnquist concludes, "but tend to outperform once government spending resumes."
A broad indicator of investor sentiment toward the U.S. relative to the rest of the world, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) was down 0.2% at last check to 97.93, and has now shed 11.1% since hitting a 2025 peak of 110.18 on January 13.
At Monday's closing bell, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite had added 0.5% to 22,591, the broad-based S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,661, and the blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2% at 46,316.
Going higher
Nvidia (NVDA, +2.1%) brushed up against a new 52-week intraday high and was No. 1 among the Dow Jones stocks, rising in the wake of new deals with ChatGPT developer OpenAI, Alibaba (BABA, +4.7%) and Microsoft (MSFT, 0.6%).
NVDA is up more than 35% so far in 2025, as demand for infrastructure to support the AI revolution shows few signs of slowing.
Chevron (CVX, -2.6%), meanwhile, went down deep as energy stocks put up the worst performance among the 11 sectors.
According to Reuters, the OPEC+ consortium of oil-producing countries is planning to boost production of crude oil in November. The per-barrel price of crude oil declined by 3.9%.
Nike (NKE, +0.4%) – the one notable name on this week's earnings calendar – was basically flat Monday but has bounced more than 30% off the post-Liberation Day 52-week low of $52.28 it hit on April 10.
Stifel analyst Peter McGoldrick thinks the iconic footwear and fashion brand might be about to just do it again. Management must continue to pump its product pipeline to reinvigorate demand, McGoldrick notes, though a "focus on performance innovation is the right strategy to restore appropriate lifestyle/performance balance."
Going public
Here's a new name with historic connotations and presidential connections destined for the updated list of hot upcoming IPOs: Fermi.
Fermi – named for Enrico Fermi, the Italian-born American physicist who created the world's first artificial nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile – announced on September 24 a plan to offer 25 million shares of common stock at $18 to $22 per share and list on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol FRMI.
The company aims to build four nuclear power plants as well as new natural gas plants, plus solar infrastructure to support 11 gigawatts of new electricity generation by 2038.
Fermi says the largest-of-its-kind nuclear project will be called the "Donald J. Trump Generating Plant."
Going private
Electronic Arts (EA, +4.5%) is being acquired in an all-cash, $210 per-share deal that values the communication services stock at approximately $55 billion.
A consortium including Silver Lake, Affinity Partners and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, will pay a 25% premium to EA's closing price on Friday to take the video-game maker private.
Wedbush analyst Alicia Reese downgraded EA stock to Neutral, or Hold, from Outperform, or Buy, noting the deal is likely to pass regulatory review given that the buyers' consortium has "a favorable standing with the current U.S. administration."
Going dark?
With questions about data integrity already on the rise, a data drought for the economic calendar would be among the first real and major consequences if the federal government shuts down.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is after all, an agency within the executive branch's Department of Labor.
And, according to a contingency plan released by the Labor Department on Friday, the BLS will shut down unless and until the federal government is funded again.
Related content
- Best Stocks to Buy for Fed Rate Cuts
- How to Invest in the Nuclear Revolution
- How to Invest for Rising Data Integrity Risk
-
Stocks See First Back-to-Back Losses of 2026: Stock Market TodayRising geopolitical worries and a continued sell off in financial stocks kept pressure on the main indexes on Wednesday.
-
Countries That Will Pay You to Move: Cash Grants, Incentives and What to KnowExplore real relocation incentives — from cash grants and tax breaks to startup funding — that make moving abroad or to smaller towns more affordable and rewarding.
-
Mortgage Protection Insurance: What It Covers and When It Makes SenseHow mortgage protection insurance works, what it costs, and when it’s actually useful in a financial plan.
-
Stocks See First Back-to-Back Losses of 2026: Stock Market Today
Rising geopolitical worries and a continued sell off in financial stocks kept pressure on the main indexes on Wednesday.
-
I'm a Real Estate Expert: 2026 Marks a Seismic Shift in Tax Rules, and Investors Could Reap Millions in RewardsThree major tax strategies will align in 2026, creating unique opportunities for real estate investors to significantly grow their wealth. Here's how it works.
-
When Can Tax Planning Be an Act of Love? This Family Found OutHow can you give stock worth millions to a loved one without giving them a huge capital gains tax bill? This family's financial adviser provided the answer.
-
Forget Job Interviews: Employers Will Find the Best Person for the Job in an Escape Room (This Former CEO Explains Why)Escape rooms can give employers a better indication of job candidates' strengths than a standard interview. Here's how your company can get on board.
-
Visa Stamps the Dow's 398-Point Slide: Stock Market TodayIt's as clear as ever that President Donald Trump and his administration can't (or won't) keep their hands off financial markets.
-
The December CPI Report Is Out. Here's What It Means for the Fed's Next MoveThe December CPI report came in lighter than expected, but housing costs remain an overhang.
-
The Paradox Between Money and Wealth: How Do You Find the Balance?Wealth reflects a life organized around relationships, health, contribution and time — qualities that compound differently than money in a mutual fund.
-
Billed 12 Hours for a Few Seconds of Work: How AI Is Helping Law Firms Overcharge ClientsThe ability of AI to reduce the time required for certain legal tasks is exposing the legal profession's reliance on the billable hour.
