What a U.S. Debt Default Means for the Nation

foxbusiness.com - Not only does the deeply-divided U.S. Congress need to agree upon a resolution to the partial government shutdown, now on day three, but it’s also butting up against a deadline, that if breached, the Treasury Department calls “catastrophic:” Here’s a look at what even the threat of a debt default could mean for the U.S. economy.1 U.S. Financial MarketsIn 2011, when the nation was in the throes of yet another fiscal conundrum about whether to raise the debt ceiling or slash government spending, all of the uncertainty from lawmakers out of Washington roiled the nation’s financial markets.