Market Performance & Trends - S&P 500 up by 006%, marking the fifth straight win [2] - NASDAQ Composite also experienced a win [2] - Dow recorded a record win [2] - Small caps up by one third of a percent [2] - Material sector led with over 1% gain, followed by tech and industrials [3] - Energy sector declined by over 1%, with consumer discretionary also showing losses, primarily due to Tesla [3][4] - Mega caps showed mixed performance, with Microsoft down about 075% and Meta up over 1% [4] - Semiconductors experienced significant gains, with Intel up almost 4%, AMD and Global Foundry each up 35% [5] - Speculative investments like crypto (GBTC up about 3%), solar (TAN), Arc Invest, and IPOs saw money inflow [6] AI & Investment Strategy - AI is reshaping industries, potentially leading to significant unemployment followed by new job creation [8][9][10] - Diversification is crucial, but many companies are heavily investing in AI, comfortable with the perceived risks [12][13] - Investors are showing interest in diversification, including fixed income and alternative investments like gold [17] - There's a growing openness to alternative investments, potentially reaching 20% of portfolio allocation [20] Mortgage & Housing Market - Mortgage rates experienced a slight rise for two straight weeks but remain relatively low for the year [22][23] - Refinance application volume initially jumped with lower rates but decreased as rates drifted up [25][26] - Pent-up demand exists, especially among first-time home buyers (50 million people between 30 and 40) [27][28] - ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) share is increasing, with typical ARMs offering initial fixed rates for 5-10 years at 75 to 100 basis points lower than 30-year fixed rates [37][39][40] Government Shutdown Impact - Essential services continue, but workers may not receive paychecks [43] - Non-essential services like national parks and Smithsonian museums will close [44] - Federal Medicare and Medicaid benefits will not be impacted; Social Security distribution will continue, but staffing may be affected [45] - SNAP benefits will be affected if the shutdown lasts over 30 days [46] - The monthly jobs report will be delayed, creating uncertainty for the Fed's policy decisions [47][48][49]

How worried should we be about a potential government shutdown once we blow through the deadline tomorrow at midnight. Democrats in the Senate, they're filibustering the Republican bud budget bill. They want to extend the health insurance subsidies and the Affordable Care Act, reverse some of the president's recent Medicaid cuts.So far, it sounds like that both sides are pretty intransigent. And if you look at the predictions market, they're currently assigning a roughly 75% odds of a shutdown by Wednesday. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The risk of a partial U.S. government shutdown beginning next week is rising as congressional Democrats and Republicans hit an impasse over how to continue to fund the federal government. A shutdown could affect financial markets by limiting the operations of financial regulators and delaying the publication of key economic data. How might markets react? Historically, markets have tended to shrug off shutdowns. However, this time could be different. A prolonged shutdown risks dela ...