Patrik Lang, Head of Equities Research, Julius Baer | A further delay on 31 October seems currently the most likely scenario. General elections later on will decide the fate of Brexit. For continental European equities, we see a 10% downside in the event of a hard Brexit, mainly driven by financials and autos.
Chris Stafford via The Conversation | Despite repeatedly insisting he didn’t want a general election, Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister, has now tried and failed to get parliament to support one. It now looks like he’ll try again or seek a vote by some other route. Having lost his majority and control of parliament, a general election seems almost inevitable now. The big question, though, is when it will happen.
Chris Iggo (Axa IM) | Suddenly the Brexit stakes have been raised. Prime Minister Johnson has made a call that convincing the world that he is prepared to leave the EU without a deal and that he is prepared to take risks with democratic and parliamentary convention are worth it if it results in the UK and the EU reaching a compromise withdrawal agreement before October 31st. It is a gamble and the tactics are being challenged by both political and public responses. Yet an alternative course of action is hard to see given the lack of credible anti-no-deal strategies so far. If Johnson’s bet pays off, the UK leaves the EU with a deal, sterling rallies, and confidence to the economic outlook can return. If not, economic and political chaos will continue and probably worsen. I said I would adhere to “Sober September” – that might prove to be very challenging!
Olivia Álvarez (Monex Europe) | Driven by concerns about a no-deal Brexit, in less than a week, the pound sterling has fallen more than 2.7% against the euro, reaching its lowest levels in the last two years.
Ofelia Marín-Lozano (1962 Capital SICAV) | 12 April was the deadline for the UK to decide of it was going to leave the EU without an agreement or, on the other hand, seek a new delay. The worst scenario for markets, a no deal Brexit, has been ruled out. The EU have granted the UK a new delay, which ends at the end of October 2019, to see if they can finally come to some kind of conclusion.
Shaun Riordan | This week is billed as, yet another, crucial week in the Brexit process. Prime Minister May will yet again bring her withdrawal deal back to parliament. Little has changed since she last presented it, and it looks like being rejected again.
Ultimately, May’s deal represents a compromise of the vague objectives for Brexit. However, Brexit has never been about compromise and with both sides of the debate envisaging different outcomes to the process, neither appear about to make concessions now. In this context, analysts at AXA IM continue to see the ‘most likely’ outcome as a compromise, similar in substance to the current Agreement.
Chandra Roy | The next fortnight back at Westminster is likely to be the toughest of Mrs May’s tenure, but equally a testing period for the EU on the prospect of a rejection by UK MP’s, which could ultimately send the process back to “square one” and “open the door to more division and more uncertainty”, as Mrs May’s put it.
Despite the initial euphoria after an agreement was reached with Brussels on the UK separation from the EU, this was not easy for PM Theresa May. This morning, four resignations on her cabinet in just a couple of hours, meant the biggest blow to May’s leadership, and therefore sterling.
The European Union lived an intense day on Tuesday. UK agreed on deal with the EU, but now the question if it will pass the test. Also Italy announced no changes in budget, while the IMF showed a cautious view. Further confrontation ahead between Rome and Brussels is expected. As commented by analysts at Julius Baer, “the EC is trapped in a philosophy of austerity whilst the Italian government is committed to fulfilling the election promises of a fiscal boost.”