51.   Stocks edged lower Tuesday as investors and traders focused on the impasse over the budget and the partial shutdown of the federal government in an otherwise dull trading session.

52.   Technical trading dominated in the absence of reports by the government, which were postponed because of the partial federal shutdown.

53.   That could mean the government would go into another partial shutdown Saturday.

54.   That impasse led to two partial shutdowns of the government and a string of stopgap spending measures, or continuing resolutions, to keep those departments operating.

55.   That measure ended a second partial federal shutdown in as many months.

56.   Talks between President Clinton and congressional leaders renewed confidence that the two sides could soon agree on a budget plan, ending a partial shutdown of the government.

57.   That is what happened for four days last month in the partial shutdown of the federal government.

58.   The American people got it when the federal government had a partial shutdown this week.

59.   The agreement between the president and Congress that ended the partial shutdown of the government last month expires next Friday.