S&P 500 Performance Before, During, And After The Last 17 Government Shutdowns (SPY)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/sp-500-performance-during-govt-shutdown-2013-9

Unless Congress can miraculously agree on a budget between now and midnight, we'll see the U.S. government shut down starting tomorrow.

However, this is no reason to dump all of your stocks.

Raymond James strategist Jeff Saut included this handy table from SentimenTrader of S&P 500 performance during the last 17 government shutdowns.

The median return during a shutdown: -0.1%. And returns are positive 47% of the time.

Remember, history is only a guide, never gospel.

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