S&P 500 Nears Record as Markets Shrug Off Shutdown Fears.

The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq looked set to cruise higher on Tuesday as Wall Street looked past the threat of another government shutdown, while the precious metals rally was running out of steam. Futures tracking the S&P 500 climbed 0.3%, putting the market benchmark on course to pass 7,000 points for the first time ever. Contracts tied to the Nasdaq 100 added 0.7%.