Stocks in the US rose to new highs in the afternoon session, despite the government’s first shutdown in seven years, as traders bet the disruption would be brief while health-care shares provided a lift. All three major indexes touched new intraday peaks, with the S&P 500 up 0.4%, the Nasdaq 100 rising 0.6%, and the Dow adding 80 points. Health-care stocks led the advance, with sharp gains in Regeneron (+7.7%), Moderna (+7.4%), Eli Lilly (+9.1%), and AbbVie (+5.3%), while optimism around Pfizer’s (+2.2%) White House deal added further support. Still, risks remain as the shutdown threatens to stall critical economic data releases, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics set to suspend operations and delay Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report. The absence of that data, alongside ADP figures showing private payrolls fell by 32,000 in September, has heightened concerns over a cooling labor market.