Political division, military threats and sticky inflation could give investors in the US sleepless nights next year. Christine Shields takes a look at Uncle Sam's biggest concerns.

For an economy as globally dominant as the US, the prospect of another government shutdown smacks of astonishing fiscal mismanagement. Yet such a threat recurs with alarming regularity, most recently this month. Agreement has just been reached to raise the debt ceiling by $2.5trn to $31.4trn to fund the government until February, when the issue will again be considered.
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