Wall Street futures fall as clock ticks to US government shutdown

Wall Street futures slipped on Wednesday as the clock ticked down to a US government shutdown that would delay the release of crucial jobs data and muddy the interest rate outlook, while Asian markets hesitated after a solid quarter of gains. The shutdown is set to commence at 0400 GMT after the Senate rejected a short-term spending measure that would have kept government operations afloat for a few more weeks. The 55-to-45 vote effectively ensured government agencies will have to discontinue all but "essential" activities, disrupting everything from air travel to the monthly unemployment report. Both S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures dropped 0.4%. Gold prices climbed 0.2% to $3,865 an ounce, back towards its record high of $3,871.45 hit...