Quick VIX

The fiscal year for the U.S. Government ends September 30th, 2017. Which is something market participants could care less about if not for, sometime near that date, Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling. Missing that deadline would result in a self-inflicted financial wound that would send shock-waves throughout global markets.  The U.S. Government has been paying off debt since the Andrew Jackson administration without missing a single payment. Raising the debt ceiling is a routine vote. In fact, with the polarized Washington we have seen in recent years, it is happening a lot more frequently, as Congress has only once passed a budget in the past eight years. In lieu of a budget, Congress passes what is known as a continuing resolution.  A continuing resolution is a type of legislation in which Congress decides to let last year’s budget continue as this year’s budget. Nevertheless, a continuing resolution is incomplete, as it does not allow for the government to sp...