Traders were seen actively engaging on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on September 17, 2025, amid a backdrop of a continuing U.S. government shutdown. Despite this uncertainty, stock futures remained largely stable as Wall Street marked impressive gains, pushing indices to record highs.
Dow Jones Industrial Average futures saw a modest uptick of 37 points, translating to a 0.1% increase. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures mirrored this sentiment, each also gaining 0.1%. Over the past week, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite celebrated their fourth advance in five weeks, increasing by 1.1% and 1.3%, respectively. The Dow contributed to this momentum by rising 1.1%, securing a positive outcome in three of the last four weeks.
Despite ongoing concerns surrounding the government shutdown, which has now resulted in the postponement of crucial economic reports, including the highly anticipated September jobs report originally scheduled for release on Friday, investor optimism appeared unshaken. Market experts noted that the shutdown remains a ‘sidebar’ issue, with many asserting that the probability of continued stock strength from October through December is high.
Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat, expressed a favorable outlook for the market, projecting that the S&P 500 could reach at least 7,000 by the end of the year, potentially surpassing that threshold. “We would urge looking through the messiness of the shutdown, and even the lack of data. If stocks are particularly weak, I would use this to ‘buy the dip,'” Lee advised investors.
In addition to the ongoing market dynamics, several Federal Reserve officials are scheduled to address the public this week, including Fed Governor Stephen Miran on Wednesday and Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday. These upcoming speeches could provide more insights into the Fed’s monetary policy direction amid the current economic landscape.
