Unless Cameron heard what he wanted to hear, as we detailed earlier, he would not have campaigned for the UK to remain in the bloc ahead of an expected referendum on membership in June…. which would likely have rocked the EU once again. Well after 30 minutes of chaos after the bell tonight, EU President Donald Tusk has tweeted that "Deal. Unanimous support for new settlement." GBPUSD is rallying on the news but now comes the fun part where Cameron persuades an increasingly euroskeptic Britain to stay inside Brussels shell…
Deal it is… No details yet…
Deal. Unanimous support for new settlement for #UKinEU
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) February 19, 2016
And cable rallies…
This is far from over of course, and as we detailed earlier, here's a bit of color from Bloomberg on what "Brexit" would mean for London's "City":
- What is at stake? Financial services account for 180 billion pounds ($258 billion) a year — about 12 percent — of U.K. economic output and contribute 66 billion pounds in taxes. In some areas, like foreign exchange trading (41 percent of the world total) and over-the counter derivatives (49 percent), London is the undisputed global leader. Opponents of a Brexit fear a departure would precipitate years of uncertainty and steady waning of influence and market share.
- What is passporting and why does it matter? Under the current regime, any firm authorized in the U.K. firm is free to do business in any other European Economic Area state by applying for a "passport" from British regulators. For non-EU banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co., Credit Suisse Group AG or Nomura Holdings Inc., the ability to access the region’s 500 million customers from a base in London has been an important draw. Without it, many firms may seriously consider upping sticks.
- What would Brexit mean for the banks? Every day more than a trillion dollars worth of euros change hands in London, close to half the global total, according to the Bank for International Settlements. The City’s global dominance of the foreign-exchange market is likely to be tested by any Brexit package that fails to guarantee a continuation of access to the single market. Over-the-counter derivatives are another area for concern. About three-quarters of all trading in such instruments in Europe currently takes place in the British capital. Without access to the single market, much of that is likely to migrate, according to lawyers and bankers who say that U.S. banks are already mulling moving operations.
Right. So this isn't just symbolic. "While no FTSE 100 company said it wanted Britain to leave the EU, only 18 were prepared to state unequivocally that they supported continued membership," FT goes on to note.
Right. Because in reality, there aren't very many solid arguments for supporting continued memebership and whatever arguments were left have been significantly diminished by the bloc's worsening migrant crisis. Still, Cameron is calling for a "live and let live approach." Here's a look at UK trade vis-a-vis the rest of Europe.
But numbers aren't likely to sway the British people who are prepared to opt out of the ill-fated union.
Cameron says he's "battling for Britain", but in reality he's "battling for the EU." With the future of the union already in question thanks to the festering migrant crisis, Britain may well be better off abandoning this sinking ship. "It's the EU in question, not just one country in the EU," French President Francois Hollande said on Friday.
Indeed. And the time has now come for Britain to decide whether it's prepared to go down with this ship, or forge a path ahead on its own. In the meantime, expect volatility, PIMCO says. "Irrespective of the twists and turns in the debate over U.K.’s planned referendum on EU membership, uncertainty over the result is likely to weigh on U.K. markets for a good few months yet," Mike Amey, Pimco portfolio manager said in a press release. Right. it is likely to cast a pall on markets "for a good few months yet," as you can tell from the below:
via Zero Hedge http://ift.tt/1RcOCuv Tyler Durden