Special Market Update: A Vote to Brexit

In a historic referendum, 51.9 percent of voters in the United Kingdom (UK) elected to leave the European Union (EU), catching global markets off guard. Reaction has been significant, with large currency moves, falling yields on perceived safe-haven government bonds, and large sell-offs in the equity markets. Within a day of the vote to leave the EU, the British pound sterling dropped over 6 percent, the 10-year Treasury yield fell to 1.56 percent, and global equities plunged 3 to 9 percent. The spillover effect to the U.S. economy will be minimal, but earnings of U.S. companies with exposure to the UK and Europe may be negatively impacted.