In advance of a final election results in the United States on Wednesday, Asian markets saw the start of what is poised to be a tumultuous market reaction if Donald Trump triumphs over Hillary Clinton in the eleventh hour. U.S. stock futures plummeted 5 percent, worse than the fallout from the U.K.’s surprise Brexit vote back in June which already erased trillions of dollars of value from world markets. The peso fell a whopping 13 percent against the dollar, its biggest move in twenty years, and a sign of fears that Trump could claim the White House.
The dollar has already lost 3.8 percent against the yen, falling to 101.24 yen. The euro also soared against the dollar, gaining 2.5 percent to $1.1294. Oil prices also stumbled on Wednesday with U.S. WTI crude futures plunging more than four percent since Tuesday’s close, down to $43.07 per barrel, before inching slightly higher. International Brent crude futures fell to $44.87 per barrel, a 2.5 percent loss on the day thus far. Though numbers out from the American Petroleum Institute (API) showed that crude oil inventories rose by 4.4 million barrels, analysts worldwide continue to speculate that the drop in oil prices is directly correlated to the U.S. election and is part of the market bloodbath that is yet to come.
Both U.S. and European markets are set to open broadly lower with the FTSE 100 expected to open 237 points lower and the German DAX to fall 415 points. Gold, on the other hand, surged five percent thus far in Wednesday’s trading as traders flocked to the safe haven on election fears. Gold was up 3.3 percent to $1,317 per ounce during Wednesday’s Asian session.
The DailyForex team will be covering breaking election news throughout Wednesday and in the coming days. Stay connected with our Android or iOS mobile app to ensure that you have the latest news and analysis in real time.