Topic: How To Invest

My view on Brexit

With the June 23, 2016, referendum, UK voters did in fact choose to “Leave” rather than “Remain.”

How has this affected North American stock markets?

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 5.1% after the Brexit vote, but is now down just 0.6%. Our Toronto market fell 3.8%. However, it’s now down only 0.4% from its pre-Brexit level.

I’ll be saying more in the next few weeks, months and beyond about Brexit and the EU. But let me sum up my view by saying that some unexpected market developments can seem to set off dreadful market downturns that last for years. One great example is the surprise announcement of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy filing in September 2008. For a while, some commentators incorrectly blamed Lehman for bringing on the 2008/2009 stock market plunge and accompanying recession.

In fact, Lehman’s failure was just a symptom of a credit market situation that was coming apart at that time, after building for years if not decades.

However, rather than usher in deep declines, unexpected negative market developments are far more likely to create buying opportunities. I suspect that’s how the Brexit news has turned out, though it will be months before volatility dies down.

All in all, now is a good time to invest in the high-quality stocks, REITs and ETFs we recommend in Canadian Wealth Advisor.

Pat McKeough

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