Wall St eyes Washington standoff with stocks near records

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. government shutdown tops investors' agenda next week as markets head into the seasonally strong fourth quarter, with equities near record highs bracing for an earnings-season test later this month. A deep partisan rift in Washington led to a federal government shutdown that risks delaying crucial economic data and could potentially muddy the Federal Reserve's policy-easing outlook. Few on Wall Street expect the Washington impasse to derail a rally that h ...