The government shutdown is now into its 12th day and there aren't any signs of a compromise yet. At least we can count on the private sector to remain open, and a slew of corporate earnings releases to fill the gap this week. More than 30 S&P 500 companies are set to announce results, including some of the US banking heavyweights. Here in New Zealand, we should get a fresh housing market report from the Real Estate Institute, while RBNZ Chief Economist Paul Conway is giving a speech on Wednesday in Sydney.