£100 billion wiped off FTSE 100 within minutes of opening after Brexit vote

The FTSE 100 fell by more than 7 per cent
Chris Gorman/Evening Standard
Tom Marshall24 June 2016
WEST END FINAL

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More than £100 billion was wiped off the FTSE 100 within minutes of the markets opening today.

The index dropped by more than 7 per cent on Friday morning as the nation's vote for Brexit sparked turmoil across global exchanges.

London's premier index plunged 458 points to 5,880 - down 7.19 per cent - as experts warned of more carnage to come.

The pound also crashed 8 per cent against the dollar, falling from 1.50 US dollars to 1.36.

Banks bore the brunt of the fall, with Barclays down 27 per cent, Royal Bank of Scotland down 28 per cent and Lloyds taking a 24 per cent dive.

Dennis de Jong, managing director of UFX.com, said: "This is simply unprecedented. The pound has fallen off a cliff and the FTSE is now following suit. Britain's EU referendum has been a cloud hanging over the global economy for the past few months and that cloud has got very dark this morning.

"The markets despise uncertainty, yet that is exactly what they're faced with this morning. The shockwaves are likely to reverberate for some time and the warning lights are flashing brighter now than ever."

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