Donald Trump pushes Wall Street’s ‘fear index’ to levels not seen since Brexit amid fears his election could spark a ‘global trade war’
Experts predict shares could tank as some polls put billionaire slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton
SHARES fell around the world today as stock markets are increasingly rattled by the prospect of Donald Trump winning the US election.
Some polls now show the Republican slightly ahead of Democrat rival Hillary Clinton - and investors fear a massive hit for shares if he becomes president.
Experts believe a Trump win could have the same effect as the Brexit vote did back in June, when stocks fell around the globe because of a possible trade war.
Trump is seen as a loose cannon on issues such as trade, foreign policy and immigrants, while Clinton is viewed as the safer bet.
European stocks hit a four-month low today as Asian markets fell to a seven-week downer.
The US dollar and oil prices also dropped as safe-haven assets such as gold and the Swiss franc rose.
Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at Oanda in London, said: "The lead up to the US presidential election was always expected to be lively but the events of the last couple of days have seriously taken their toll on investor sentiment."
Related stories
Clinton looked to be cruising to victory until last Friday when the FBI dropped its bombshell that it was looking into more of her emails as part of a long-running probe.
The Financial Times said the Vix index — commonly referred to as Wall Street’s “fear gauge”, which measures expectations of stock market volatility - had risen to its highest level since Brexit.
CMC Markets chief strategist Colin Cieszynski told the FT: “With the Brexit trading experience in recent memory, it seems that some traders don’t want to be caught offside again and have started to act.”