Congress agrees tentative wall funding

Congress agrees tentative wall funding

Markets look set to open positively this morning as investors were buoyed by the tentative deal struck in the US overnight which looks set to avoid another US government shutdown. Naturally, the core of the issue was funding for the border wall with Mexico which Democrats have, all be it reluctantly, agreed to earmark $1.4 Billion to build an enhanced fence with Mexico. Despite funding being well off the $5.7 Billion Trump was demanding and only enough to fund fencing for just one quarter of the length demanded by the President. The compromise was exactly the climb down the President needed to avoid shutting the government down again. Whilst political commentators remain speculative about the deal it has pushed global equity markets higher at the open today.