Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
Brexit is the impending withdrawl of the UK from the European Union. In a referendum on 23rd June 2016 , a majority of British voters supported leaving the EU.
Brexit stands for Britain - Exits which is subsequently the process taking place right now.
FOR
Over the following years, Brexit has succeeded in destabilising the pound. The cost of Brexit has taken its tolls on a number of businesses and on the overall economy of the country. We’ve seen many businesses pull out of the UK entirely, as the costs of running in the country and the devalued currency make this a poorer business prospect for them.
There have been periods of time when the pound has surged back, but we’re still no closer to value of the pound prior to the major political event. Prior to Brexit in 2016, the pound was strong against the euro, but it hasn’t reached this same level since. There have been some spikes and highs for the currency since, though none have reached anywhere near the pre-Brexit value.
The initial effect of Brexit on the pound was a staggering loss. Almost overnight, the pound value plummeted much faster than anyone could have anticipated. A range of factors accelerated this, as it seemed the public no longer had faith in the market any more.
This started a freefall for the pound, which showed no sign of stopping. EXT Capital conducted a study into the value of the pound after each Prime Minister’s speech and found that the results directly correlated to the speech in question. The first Brexit speech allowed the pound to get a boost of 2%, which showed some confidence in Mrs May’s first talk.
When establishing the dates of Brexit in a speech on the 3rd of October, confidence in the pound dropped to an all-time low. Speculation was cast as to whether there was a solid plan for a successful Brexit, which lost more confidence in the currency. The Euro zone seemed to be unfazed by Brexit, which pushed the EUR up more when compared to the GBP.
The pound still has a long way to go to recover, with some being doubtful that this will ever happen. If the euro experiences issues in the future, then the pound may be able to gain some ground back on the currency. Political strife in America has also allowed the pound to up the stakes again, but this has not had as large or as lasting an effect on the currency.
The future of the pound is the subject of much speculation at the moment, though it’s hard to predict if or when it will return to a top value once more. When Brexit is complete and a full severance of the UK from the EU occurs, it’s anyone’s guess whether the pound will flourish or crumble. It’s volatile enough to make this an interesting trading prospect, though it’s hard to pin down which direction this will move.
When Brexit is scheduled to take effect in March 2019, the British government is planning to stop EU citizens from being able to live and work in the UK without visa requirements. As the EU and Britain’s third round of divorce talks begins, a range of industry groups and business owners highlighted how this could create staffing problems.
Manufacturing firms, which account for 45% of all UK exports, report an increase in EU nationals leaving their companies before Brexit becomes official. Britain’s manufacturing and engineering trade body EEF warned that this is likely to lead to a recruitment crunch because two-thirds of firms say they have to hire EU nationals because there are not enough Britons applying for jobs. In addition, a third say they hire workers from elsewhere in the EU because Britons don’t have sufficient skills.
Looking ahead, UK growth is likely to be sluggish at around 1.4% in 2018. With inflation forecast to average 2.6%, the UK will feel like a stagflationary environment for some time. As for 2019, the outlook is very uncertain. We assume a transition period will be agreed that preserves the status quo of the single market and customs union membership, but this is unlikely to help growth recover much.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England is closely monitoring Brexit events and the reaction in the economy. After aborting a rate hike in May, the consensus has shifted dramatically away from a hike in the near-term, to one possibly by the end of the year; 73.5% chance priced by markets.
The next Bank of England Inflation Report is due in August, which provides the Bank another opportunity to consider its policy stance, but given recent weakness in both UK and overseas data, this is likely to remain on hold. We forecast the Bank to hike once more in 2018 – in November – and two more times in 2019 after Brexit.