Sunday, November 17, 2024

French snap election chaos triggers flood of investment into UK markets

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Ms Albarran said: “A lot of the optimism about France had relied on Mr Macron being able to continue to deliver legislative reform. That is going to be really difficult if you have a parliament that is at odds with you.” 

That is compared to recent stability in the UK, which Ms Albarran said is a “demonstration of what markets do and don’t like”.

British equities have long been considered cheap compared with stocks in other markets, fuelled by a discount post-Brexit.

While there is still a long way to go to close that gap, Ms Albarran said a large Labour majority would increase demand for UK stocks. 

She said: “Markets like stability and clarity from a political perspective. The fact that we have seen a bit more interest over recent weeks is quite encouraging.”

“If the UK is in a period of political stability, especially if it can deliver better growth, then it might look a more attractive prospect if Europe suddenly is in a more existential crisis.”

Keith Balmer, a portfolio manager at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, shared this sentiment, saying foreign investors would again start to look to the UK. 

He said: “With the expectation of a two-term Labour government, the least that we should hope for is greater stability and longer-term planning. This should attract international investors back to the UK.”

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