Stocks are little changed as U.S. government shutdown looms; Wall Street heads for monthly gains

Stocks were relatively unchanged on Tuesday as a potential U.S. government shutdown loomed. Wall Street was also headed for an unusually strong September.

The S&P 500 hovered around the flatline, as did the Nasdaq Composite

. The Dow Jones Industrial Average

 was also flat.

The federal government is due to run out of funding at midnight, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told CNBC Tuesday that he’s “skeptical” that a shutdown can be averted by the deadline, saying that the outcome is in the hands of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. Jeffries, meanwhile, said on CNBC about Republicans that “if the government shuts down, it’s their decision to do it.”

For the most part, the stock market is taking the prospect of a government shutdown in stride. Historically speaking, stoppages have had a negligible impact on the market, as they seldom last for more than two weeks. However, some investors worry the impact on the U.S. economy could be especially harmful this time around, should the Trump administration go through with its threat of mass firings of federal workers, or if it lasts for longer than anticipated.