Share prices for gun makers were down when the stock market closed Monday, on an otherwise positive trading day. Despite an election-season spike in revenue, investors now seem concerned about the long-term outlook for restrictions on gun sales.

The market shutdown is a reminder that if human beings can't travel to Wall Street 鈥� the actual street, not the metaphor 鈥� the financial system can't function.

The rates on capital gains and dividends are on the table in the negotiations over the fiscal cliff. Some complain that it would hurt companies' stock prices, giving them less money to invest. But other economists say it's unlikely to have strong effects.

Nasdaq and the U.S. Intercontinental Exchange had been trying to lure the New York Stock Exchange away from a $10 billion offer from a German exchange. But Nasdaq said Monday it was clear that regulators would not approve the deal. Also, struggling carmaker Saab has found a lifeline. China's largest car distributor will inject funds in return for a stake in the brand, which GM sold to a Dutch company last year.