UK’s equity market has trailed Europe’s considerably this year. The UK’s FTSE 100 Index is down over 20% while Euro Stoxx 600 Index is down just over 11% year-to-date in sterling and euros respectively. If we compare the two in Euros, the UK fares even worse on account of Sterling’s weakness relative to the Euro – another sign of the UK being hurt more by the risk of Brexit disruption and uncertainty.
London-listed stocks rallied yesterday as the pound sank, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the UK will walk away from Brexit negotiations if a deal is not reached by mid-October.
Tristán de Borbón (London) | On March 2 the British government started to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU… and to set out its goals for an agreement with the USA. A strategy that puzzles analysts.
JP Marín-Arrese | Those betting Brexit would take a heavy toll on Britain, discover much to their surprise that the EU stands as the first collateral casualty. The vacuum left in the budget by the UK departure has fuelled bitter acrimony between the Member States, especially in those receiving large amounts of Community money, like Spain. Its PM Sánchez has described the proposal tabled by the Council Chair as deeply disappointing.
Political uncertainty about the Brexit procedure caused the United Kingdom’s (UK’s) gross domestic product (GDP) to stagnate in the fourth quarter of 2019. However, the strong decrease in political uncertainty since the 12 December parliamentary election should allow the UK economy to rebound back to growth during the first quarter of this year, explains Janwillem Acket, chief economist at Julius Baer.
The chances of “getting Brexit done” reasonably quickly and smoothly have never been better.
Allianz GI / Victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative party in the UK general election is likely to be welcomed by markets and potentially boosts prospects for the UK economy. It doesn’t, however, end the Brexit uncertainty overnight – and the UK continues to be vulnerable to a late-cycle global environment.
David A. Meier (Julius Baer) | Prime Minister Johnson’s Conservative Party grabbed a commanding victory. An orderly Brexit based on the withdrawal agreement is highly likely on 31 January. Given plenty of looming uncertainties during the transition period, such as the final UK-EU trade relationship and Scottish appetite for independence, we stick to a Neutral short-term British pound outlook.
“If the conservatives of Boris Johnson obtained the majority in the Parliament, the agreement of exit of the prime minister would return to the agenda of the new House and probably it would be approved. The United Kingdom will then begin the transition period (which in principle extends until the end of 2020) during which the future relationship with the EU will be defined,” analysts at Degroof Petercam point out.