Latest Irish Life weekly markets update

Key talking points include:

• Markets broadly shrugged off the first US government shutdown in seven years to post record highs amid optimism of further Fed rate cuts.
• The S&P 500 rose by 1.1% (MTD 3.9%, YTD 14.1%) while the Euro Stoxx 600 rose by 1.9% (MTD 2.4%, YTD 11.2%).
• Developments around the US government shutdown are set to remain in focus this week, with the scheduled data releases by federal agencies unlikely to be published unless a funding bill is passed. Eurozone retail sales (today) and German industrial data over the next couple of days may also be of note.