Here’s what could happen to the stock market if the government shuts down

If the federal government shuts down Friday night, financial regulatory agencies will be working with a skeleton crew in the middle of a busy earnings season.  Despite this, stocks have fared well in recent government shutdowns, data show.  Unless Republicans, who control both the House and Senate, are able to pass a spending bill by midnight Friday, the US government will enter a partial shutdown, with all nonessential services going into a freeze. Historical data suggests that a...