Wall Street’s Bull Run Powers Ahead Despite Shutdown and Weak Hiring

​Markets Keep Charging
Wall Street just doesn’t know how to quit. Even with a government shutdown dragging into its second day and hiring slowing to its weakest pace since 2009, investors kept buying. All three major U.S. indexes — plus Nvidia — closed at record highs.

Jobs Market Shows Cracks
Fresh data shows year-to-date hiring is down 58% from last year, hitting its lowest point in over a decade. The jobless rate is holding near 4.3%, but the slowdown in new hiring has left the economy looking like what Fed Chair Powell calls a “low fire, low hire” environment.

Buffett’s Big Buy
Warren Buffett is making moves again. Berkshire Hathaway struck a $9.7 billion deal to acquire OxyChem, the petrochemical unit of Occidental Petroleum. It’s Berkshire’s largest deal since the Alleghany purchase in 2022 and signals Buffett’s continued appetite for big industrial bets.

Tesla Delivers, BYD Slips
Tesla delivered nearly 497,100 vehicles in the third quarter, up 7% from a year ago, giving Elon Musk another win. In contrast, Chinese EV giant BYD saw deliveries fall 6% year-over-year in September — its first decline of 2025.

Pharma’s Uncertain Future
Trump’s 100% tariffs on branded and patented drugs are shaking the pharmaceutical sector. Analysts say the winners will be the companies that can quickly adapt supply chains or expand U.S.-based production, while others may struggle under the new costs.

Global Ripples
Europe’s Stoxx 600 index also hit a fresh record, rising 0.53%. Meanwhile, Russia’s economy is showing strain as the Kremlin plans tax hikes to fund its war effort in Ukraine — a move likely to weigh further on growth.

The Bigger Picture
​Shutdown? Shrinking hiring? Tariffs? None of it has slowed Wall Street’s charge. With record highs across the board, a mega-deal from Buffett, and Tesla keeping its delivery streak alive, the bull run still looks unstoppable — at least for now.