The pound dropped at its sharpest pace against the dollar in nearly two years and stocks have jumped after Donald Trump said he had won a “magnificent victory for the American people” in the US presidential election.
Sterling slumped as much as 1.4pc against the dollar to $1.285, its lowest level in two months, as traders scrambled to take advantage of so-called “Trump trades” in the wake of the US presidential election.
The dollar was up as much as 2pc against the euro, which was worth $1.07, and jumped 1.8pc versus the yen.
Investors are betting on a strong dollar as Mr Trump heads for the White House, reasoning that his pledge to introduce harsh tariffs and spend freely will drive inflation and keep US interest rates high.
Against a basket of major currencies, the dollar index surged at its fastest pace since 2020.
Stocks also jumped in the wake of the vote. The FTSE 100 leapt 1.3pc in London, while the midcap FTSE 250 jumped 1.8pc after the Republican candidate took the crucial swing states of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia ahead of Democrat candidate Kamala Harris.
The biggest gainers on the FTSE 100 were US-facing stocks, with Ashtead leading the index’s risers. The international building equipment rental company, which has strong operations in the US, was up 6.8pc.
InterContinental Hotels climbed 5.7pc, while gambling giant Entain, which has expanded its American operations, rose 4.9pc.
Markets in the US also rallied. Futures indicated the S&P 500 was on track to open more than 2pc higher in New York, while the Dow looked set to gain more than 2.6pc when trading began.
Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Finalto, said markets were expressing “relief” that the US presidential election appeared to have delivered a decisive result.
In the debt market, US government borrowing costs surged. Treasury yields shot to four-month highs.
Yields on 10-year treasury bonds – the return the government promises to pay buyers of its debt – jumped to 4.47pc. Two-year yields climbed to 4.31pc from 4.19pc amid expectations that Mr Trump will enact more inflationary policies.
Mark Haefele of UBS said the jump in yields was “in anticipation of higher nominal GDP growth and higher fiscal deficits”.
Government borrowing costs fell in Europe as investors snapped up bonds, amid concerns that Mr Trump’s inflationary tariffs will hurt growth and force central banks to cut interest rates to boost economies. The yields on UK, German and French bonds were all lower.
Bitcoin climbed as much as 8.5pc to reach a record high of $75,060 as the self-styled “Crypto President” said he would be “putting America first”.
