Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Markets: The S & P 500 wasn’t doing much Thursday, the second day of the federal government shutdown. The broad market index started the day modestly higher, touching a new all-time intraday high, before fizzling a bit and trading near the flatline. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling CNBC that the shutdown may dent gross domestic product certainly did not help market sentiment. In general, our view is that the shutdown will not alter the long-term market trajectory, so we don’t need to make any portfolio moves in direct response. A bright spot within the market Thursday was Nvidia — up about 1% to $189 per share. The Club stock was on pace for a fresh record close and its sixth straight session of gains, its longest winning streak since June. On an intraday basis, Nvidia traded above $190 for the first time ever. Strength in Nvidia and the broader chip complex — the iShares Semiconductor ETF rose around 2% on the day — was helping keep the tech-heavy Nasdaq in positive territory in afternoon trading. Positive chatter: Bank of America expects BlackRock’s net flows to
