Policy Drip Torture Congressional Republicans are now offering a one-week clean extension of federal funding, purportedly to allow time for negotiations with Congressional Democrats and the White House, the latter parties appearing thus far to be disinterested. However, markets need to keep the machinations in Washington in perspective. In a squeaky wheel gets the grease strategy, Republicans believe that the ongoing drama and tension over government operations and, ultimately, the raising of the debt limit ceiling serves their goal of accomplishing policy changes. Voters may lash back at Republicans in November 2014 elections for being irritants in the fall of 2013, but right now Republicans calculate that the only near-term way of en...

TAGS – Asia, North America