Whatever happens, the very fact that the US has once again seen fit to engage in such brinksmanship has led many to suggest that there is something deeply wrong with its political system - 'dysfunctional' is a word ascribed to it on numerous occasions this past fortnight. It has also starkly reminded us that there is something not quite right about the debt-ridden US economy full-stop. So we should still be very worried, because we all remain firmly in the orbit of US influence.
Of course, it is somewhat unfair to single out the US for the chaotic nature of its politics - dysnfunctional is a word that can be applied equally to most governments, especially when they attempt to sway the course of financial markets. Look no further than the flotation of the Royal Mail for a very recent case in point over here. Peter Hargreaves, the founder of Hargreaves Lansdown whose systems briefly collapsed as retail investors looked to turn a quick buck, launched a withering attack on the government's mishandling and mispricing of the flotation, and especially the lack of consultation with retail brokers like his own. A Parliamentary witch hunt now seems likely, as though finger pointing will solve anything.
You may have also seen George Osborne this week virtually begging Chinese investors to buy into Britain, and offering its banks light touch regulation to operate here, in apparent contradiction to existing policy. Osborne's regulatory meddling has quite rightly come under fire from many quarters - it was, after all, light touch regulation of the City that helped spark the financial crisis of 2008, as global banks took full advantage of our lax code to establish their riskier operations over here.
And then, of course, there are pensions. I was castigated by one reader for once pinning the blame for the pensions crisis on Gordon Brown's tax raid back in 1997. As he pointed out, Mr Brown is just one of many who have had their fingers in the till of Britain's retirement savers - as the continuing reductions to the lifetime pensions limit demonstrate. Now there are rumours that Osborne has his eye on Isas, too, with the possible introduction of a lifetime limit on Isa pots where previously there was none - and which for some has made them a viable alternative to pension products.
It would be a foolhardy move for which the only explanation would be that he doesn't want people to save. But from an investor's perspective, politics has rarely made much sense.
