Will polarized Congress widen or narrow divisions?

In an illustration of the old saying "extremes meet", the Democratic Party took control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections but lost ground in the Senate.

The results gave both parties reason to celebrate; so now comes the tug of war. But while it may seem counterintuitive, the results mean the political system in the United States may regain some equilibrium.

That partly explains why majority opinion has it that the results of Tuesday's US midterm elections will have limited impact on US and global markets. Most analysts believe the deeper political polarization in Washington is likely to produce less polarizing outcomes as the US president will now have to focus on less divisive legislation.