Wall Street pushes higher as threat of US government shutdown looms

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writers

Wall Street pushed higher early Monday despite growing anxiety over a possible U.S. government shutdown later this week.

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.5% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.4%. Nasdaq futures climbed 0.6%.

Prospects for a last-minute compromise between Republicans and Democrats appear rather bleak, with government funding set to run out Wednesday. Such political impasses have had limited impact on the market before, though a shutdown could delay the release of government data that traders, economists and the Federal Reserve rely on for clues about how the U.S. economy is faring.

The government is scheduled to release its comprehensive September jobs report o