Global stock markets mostly rose on Monday, shrugging off concerns about a looming US government shutdown.

Wall Street’s main indices opened higher, with the S&P 500 within striking distance of setting a fresh record high, following gains in Europe and Asia.

Unless US lawmakers agree on a temporary spending plan on Tuesday many government operations will shut down on Wednesday when the new fiscal year begins.

“It is very much touch-and-go in terms of whether there will be a deal that averts a government shutdown,” said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare.

“But for now the impact of a possible shutdown is concentrated more in the headlines than in the economy and the stock market,” he said.

Trade Nation market analyst David Morrison noted that Wall Street’s so-called fear gauge, the VI

See Full Page