Photo by Miguel M. on Unsplash
 

After 43 days, the government shutdown has finally ended.

President Trump signed the spending bill that will get federal operations back to normal. While the shutdown created uncertainty and disruption, the reopening now creates clear opportunities for investors who know where to look.

Today, I want to walk you through seven areas of the market that stand to benefit, along with specific tickers I'm watching for potential profits this month.
 

1. Travel & Hospitality

TSA staffing shortages and national park closures hurt airlines, hotels, and tourism-dependent businesses over the past six weeks.

Now the reopening means national parks welcome visitors again, security lines normalize, and business and leisure travel return to normal patterns.

Expedia (EXPE) has already shown strong momentum and should continue benefiting as travel bookings accelerate. And Delta Air Lines (DAL) is positioned to capture both the return of personal travel and the resumption of business travel as government operations get back to full speed.
 

2. Healthcare & Biotech

The FDA and NIH experience significant slowdowns during shutdowns. Drug approvals get delayed, clinical trials face interruptions, and research grant funding stops flowing.

Once reopened, there's typically a backlog of approvals to process, which means companies waiting on drug approvals or relying on government research partnerships should see these processes normalize quickly.

As I wrote in my November 4th article about the AI revolution in healthcare, this sector continues to offer compelling opportunities.

I currently hold a position in Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) as part of my Speculative Trading Program, and the company should benefit from the resumption of government research funding and regulatory processes.
 

3. Government Contractors & Defense

Companies like Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Raytheon Technologies (RTX) rely on government contracts, and during shutdowns, procurement processes freeze and payment cycles get disrupted. This creates cash flow challenges, especially for smaller contractors who depend on steady revenue streams.

With the government reopening, delayed payments will resume and new contract awards will move forward.

If you want broad exposure to this sector, consider the iShares US Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA), which gives you diversified access to companies that should benefit from normalized government operations.
 

4. Small Cap Stocks

Small cap companies face unique challenges during government shutdowns.

Unlike their large-cap counterparts, these companies aren't as equipped to handle disruptions because their balance sheets don't have as much capital and they don't have easy access to capital markets when they need it. Plus, small caps primarily operate as domestic companies while larger firms have more international exposure to cushion the blow.

During the 43-day shutdown, many small caps struggled with delayed payments, frozen procurement processes, and reduced consumer spending from furloughed workers.

Now that the government is reopening, these headwinds should reverse quickly. Small caps tend to be more sensitive to domestic economic conditions, which means they could see an outsized rebound as government operations normalize and spending resumes.

The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) gives you diversified exposure to this segment of the market that should see a meaningful boost from the reopening.
 

5. Agriculture & Food Processing

The USDA handles critical functions like farm subsidies, food safety inspections, and agricultural data releases.

When shut down, farmers face delayed subsidy payments, meat processing plants can't operate at full capacity without inspectors, and commodity markets lack key data. The reopening restores these essential services.

Food stocks like Tyson Foods (TSN) could bounce, and fertilizer stocks like Mosaic (MOS) could also catch a bid.

I'll note that both of these areas are in pronounced downtrends. But stocks in these industries are cheap compared to expected profits, which could make them interesting turnaround plays.
 

6. Real Estate & Housing Finance

FHA loan approvals, flood insurance certifications, and IRS tax transcript verifications all halt during shutdowns, which directly impacts mortgage closings. This creates a backlog that affects homebuilders, mortgage lenders, and title companies.

Mortgage originators like Rocket Companies (RKT) should see this backlog clear and normal processing times return, which could provide a meaningful boost to their business volumes.
 

7. Consumer Discretionary

The 1.4 million government workers who weren't receiving paychecks represent a significant amount of consumer spending power that was frozen during the shutdown.

Now that these workers will be paid -- including back pay for the shutdown period -- it will free up cash to be spent, which should benefit retail stocks.

Basic, cost-conscious retailers like Walmart (WMT), TJX Companies (TJX), and Costco (COST) should benefit as these workers normalize their spending patterns and make up for purchases they delayed during the shutdown.
 

The Bottom Line

The government reopening should help fuel the market's rally into year-end.

We're in a bull market, my friend.

So make sure you're positioned to profit from this season of opportunity. Each of these seven sectors offers a different way to capture the benefits of returning to normal operations.

Here's to building and protecting your wealth!

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