WisdomTree warns pound will remain the pressure point as Brexit talks rumble on

With the pound diving against both the dollar and the euro in recent weeks after Theresa May set out plans to invoke Article 50 as soon as possible, WisdomTree’s director of research Viktor Nossek analyses what’s next in store for the pound, and why the probability of the UK benefitting appears to be very low.
Viktor Nossek, Director of Research at WisdomTree, said: “Since Theresa May set out plans to invoke Article 50 at the end of March, we have witnessed a significant weakening of the pound against both the dollar and the euro, exacerbated by the fact we have yet to see any significant weakness in the Eurozone economy or trade.
“France and Germany look likely to maintain their position for a ‘hard Brexit’, something the Conservative Government looks keen to back, meaning there is a further risk of the pound devaluing further as access to the single market and passporting rights of UK financial services firms are compromised. This is key since UK financial services – having an export surplus with the EU – are keeping a lid on the UK’s trade deficit. Absent the willingness of foreign investors to fund the trade deficit, the pressure point is on the pound to correct the UK’s growing macro imbalance of having to rely ever more on the grace of foreign investors to fund the spending needs of the UK economy. If the UK is set on making few concessions then this will likely keep the pound weak and help drive increased volatility in sterling.
“Even once formal negotiations start between the EU and the UK, no-one knows what trade agreements will be in place. Trade deals are now done more often than not at a bloc level, meaning the UK could be left with little leverage when forming new partnerships. As we have seen in the past year, currency markets hate this sort of uncertainty and the probability of the UK benefitting appears to be low. Consequently, we would expect unpredictability to continue, both up until Article 50 is triggered and over the long-term future where negotiations have the potential to drag on.”