Africa will be the secret victim of Brexit

Britain’s economy may bear the brunt of the fallout from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, but another part of the world — Africa — is set to be an unexpected victim.

Much of the economic spotlight since Britain voted to leave the EU has understandably been trained on how the so-called Brexit vote will affect the British economy as well as those of countries within the eurozone and the wider European Union.

In the UK one word — recession — dominates, with banks, economic research houses, and supranational institutions all predicting that growth in Britain will shrink this year or next.

Barclays thinks the UK is on the “cusp of recession,” Credit Suisse predicts that a recession will cost Britain 500,000 jobs, and Morgan Stanley says a recession is coming, though it was unsure of the specific details.

It isn’t just predictions that are dire. Economic surveys, like Friday’s disastrous Markit flash PMI data, are also pointing to recession.

Europe is a slightly different story. Before the referendum it was generally accepted that a vote to leave would drag massively on growth and crush confidence, but so far the impact looks to be negligible, if surveys from the German think tank Ifo Institute and Markit are to be believed.

But according to new research from Barclays, Brexit’s economic impact on Africa, and particularly sub-Saharan Africa, or SSA, could be profound and incredibly damaging to the continent’s burgeoning development. In a note by analysts led by Peter Worthington, Barclays argues that the referendum will materially affect growth on the continent, saying:

“Post-Brexit, we see growth in sub-Saharan Africa halving to just 1.4% in 2016, the slowest pace in decades, due principally to sharply weaker growth outlooks in sub-Saharan Africa’s three biggest economies: Angola, Nigeria, and South Africa, which together account for nearly three fifths of SSA GDP.”

Barclays identifies seven key reasons SSA growth is at risk from Brexit. Take a look below:

  1. Brexit could harm global demand for goods, particularly hitting African economies that are focused on the export of raw materials. This would lead to “slower growth and wider current account deficits,” Barclays argues.
  2. Weaker global demand could also, Barclays says, cause key commodity prices to fall, further undermining the African economy, which relies heavily on exporting minerals, ores, and other commodities. The possible exception would most likely be gold, which has been boosted by market uncertainty since the referendum. Two of the world’s 10 biggest gold-producing nations are in sub-Saharan Africa.
  3. Tourism will dwindle. A key area of economic prosperity for African nations is tourism, particularly through safaris and other nature tours. The basic argument here is simple — if Brits and other Europeans are suffering through economic hardship, an African holiday will be far less affordable.
  4. Fewer African workers will be able to work in developed nations, which will reduce the amount of money sent back to SSA countries. As Barclays puts it, there will be fewer “economic opportunities for African migrants to the UK and Europe, and hence less workers’ remittances to home countries.”
  5. If things get really bad, aid from UK and European governments could start to dry up, robbing SSA countries of vital funding for infrastructure projects and other economically beneficial plans.
  6. Brexit is causing heightened uncertainty and, in some respects, increased risk aversion. These factors are likely to increase financing costs and shrink capital inflows into sub-Saharan Africa.
  7. Earnings on sub-Saharan investments into Europe and the UK will be lower. That is likely to have the biggest impact on sub-Saharan Africa’s most developed nation, South Africa, which has substantial investments in Europe.

Barclays said it was impossible to quantify exactly how big the impact would be (emphasis ours):

“Quantifying the aggregate impact of all these factors is challenging, especially because of the many feedback loops between financial markets and the real economy, and the interlinking second order, multiplier, and lagged effects as the Brexit shock reverberates across borders around the global economy. Moreover, even once the UK triggers Article 50 (the procedure to formally initiate divorce proceedings) it is likely to take at least two years to negotiate the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU. Until these terms are clear, the ultimate effect of Brexit will be obscured by much uncertainty.”

UK’s Historic Vote: How 51.89% of the population voted to leave the European Union

BritVOTE
51.89% of the population voted to leave the European Union, while 48.11% voted to remain. Almost 46.5 million people were registered to vote in Thursday’s referendum.
Pro-“Brexit” campaigners cheered, but the largely unexpected decision played havoc on world markets. London’s FTSE 100 index plunged by more than 8% at the open, with bank stocks getting hit particularly hard.

Pro-independence party UKIP leader and Leave campaigner Nigel Farage told a group of journalists at Westminster following the Leave side’s victory that the EU is “dying.”
Calling for a ‘Brexit government,’ he added that “we’ve given ourselves the chance to rejoin the world … June 23rd needs to become a national bank holiday and we will call it Independence Day.”
The result reflects a deeply divided union.
In one of the most divisive campaigns in recent memory, polls had consistently shown voters split down the middle, with the outcome too close to call, and wavering voters likely to determine the result.
The UK has been a member of the European Union — and its precursors — since 1973.

Mixed reaction

The results have prompted mixed reaction from politicians. London Mayor Sadiq Kahn said that the decision was a “clear message” but urged calm.
European Council President Donald Tusk said the UK’s decision to leave the European Union was “historic, but not a moment for hysterical reactions.
“Today on behalf of the 27 (European) leaders, I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as the 27. For all of us, the union is the framework for our common future.”U.S. President Barack Obama “has been briefed” on the results and expects to speak to Cameron later in the day.

Markets start freaking out

The shock development will have profound implications for markets and economies around the world.
Along with the FTSE’s disastrous opening, the pound has plunged more than 12% to below $1.34, its lowest level since 1985. Japan’s Nikkei tanked 6.7%, and Hong Kong’s main index dropped 3.7%. Stock futures indicate that markets in London and New York will also tank when they open for trading. Dow futures are down more than 650 points.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said that the body is “well prepared” and “won’t hesitate” to take additional measures as markets adjust.
The “UK financial system is resilient,” he added.

‘Serious consequences’

British Foreign Minister Hammond said that Britain’s voice in Europe will be greatly diminished and that the events would “change course of British history with huge consequences.”
Speaking to CNN’s Richard Quest, Italy’s Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan acknowledged the risk of a domino effect following the vote.
Indeed, Britain’s decision has emboldened anti-Europe parties across the continent.
The far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders congratulated the UK on its decision, and called for a Dutch referendum on EU membership.
“We want be in charge of our own country, our own money, our own borders, and our own immigration policy,” he was quoted as saying in a statement on his website.
“If I become prime minister, there will be a referendum in the Netherlands on leaving the European Union as well. Let the Dutch people decide.”
Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s nationalist Front National party also congratulated the Brexit side. Her party has suggested that the French would also hold an “out” referendum if she assumed the presidency. France is holding presidential elections next year.
David Cameron, left, and his wife Samantha arrive to vote in the EU referendum in London, Thursday June 23, 2016. Cameron has announced his resignation as Prime Minister following the UK's historic vote to leave the EU. He refused to give an exact time table for his departure, but said that he wanted a new leader to be in place by the start of the Tory Party conference in October.
David Cameron, left, and his wife Samantha arrive to vote in the EU referendum in London, Thursday June 23, 2016. Cameron has announced his resignation as Prime Minister following the UK’s historic vote to leave the EU. He refused to give an exact time table for his departure, but said that he wanted a new leader to be in place by the start of the Tory Party conference in October.

Breakup of the union?

Turnout in Scotland was 67% with voters across the country voting overwhelmingly to stay in Europe. Now that the UK as a whole has determined to leave, many north of the border feel that this would be a catalyst for another Scottish referendum, allowing the country to secede from the UK.
The pro-independence Sinn Fein party in Northern Ireland also called for an Irish unity referendum — taking Northern Ireland out of the UK — in the wake of the Brexit vote.
“Scotland has delivered a strong, unequivocal vote to remain in the EU, and I welcome that endorsement of our European status,” Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a statement. She will deliver a statement on the Brexit vote’s implications for Scotland later on Friday morning, she said in a statement.
“And while the overall result remains to be declared, the vote here makes clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union.”
Her predecessor, Alex Salmond, told British television that Cameron has no choice but to resign after losing the referendum.
“If this result holds, it’s the end of Britain, just simple as that… Scotland is voting overwhelmingly to stay,” historian Simon Schama told CNN before the vote.
“Bye-bye Great Britain, bye-bye United Kingdom. That will absolutely happen.”

David Cameron resigns after UK shocks the world by voting for Brexit

With the Leave campaign securing 52 per cent of the vote, Mr Cameron addressed the nation in an emotional speech outside 10 Downing Street to announce that he would be stepping down.
With the Leave campaign securing 52 per cent of the vote, Mr Cameron addressed the nation in an emotional speech outside 10 Downing Street to announce that he would be stepping down.

David Cameron has resigned as Prime Minister after Britain voted to leave the European Union.

It followed a turbulent night with Remain campaigners quietly confident until the early hours when results from Newcastle and Sunderland showed better than expected returns for the Brexit camp.

A surprise victory for a Brexit in Swansea, which was expected to vote to Remain, did little to dampen concerns despite Scotland overwhelmingly backing staying in the Union.

Other votes in Wales began to show a trend towards a surprise Leave vote, particularly in deprived communities.

Big wins for David Cameron’s campaign in London and Oxford did little to allay fears that early predictions had been wrong, as the pound began to tank – down by 6% by around 1pm.

Leave passed the finishing post just after 6am, as it became clear that nothing could swing the vote back in favour of the Remain campaign.

With the Leave campaign securing 52 per cent of the vote, Mr Cameron addressed the nation in an emotional speech outside 10 Downing Street to announce that he would be stepping down.

Statements are expected to be made by Sinn Fein and the SNP later today calling for a breakaway from the Union. London backed Remain but the turnout was lower than expected because of bad weather.

Meanwhile on the market, the FTSE 250 index has plunged a whopping 11.7pc. The index of so-called mid-cap companies had dropped an astonishing 2,017 points to 15,309 in the first few minutes of trading.

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