Its official, Theresa May is planning the hardest Brexit possible for the UK. However, while we now know what tactics the government will be using in its negotiations over the next few years, its impossible to tell today exactly what the UKs relationship with Europe will be when the divorce process is finalised.
So, even though investors have a littleidea of what the future holds for the UK-Europe relationship, trying to plan ahead is fruitless.
Planning for uncertainty
No matter how the negotiations go, three or four years from now the UK business environment will be very different from what it is today.
If the EU blocks any agreements with the UK, May has said the UK will play hardball, turning itself into a free-trade tax haven. This might be good for businesses but a clampdown on immigration will almost certainly push wages higher as the labour pool contracts. Low margin businesses will suffer the most from this development.
The other key variable to consider is the outcome for financials. The loss of passporting rights to the rest of the European economic area will undoubtedly have some impact, although banks are already taking actions to limit the day-to-day impact on their businesses.
Its already happening
The one thing we can be certain of, mostly because its already happening, is that over the next few years the country will have to get used to higher inflation. The falling pound coupled with immigration controls on low-wage work (as well as more skilled professions) will likely send company costs up across the board. Consumers may react to higher prices by cutting back on discretionary spending.
In other words, the only sectors that will most likely come out of Theresas hard Brexit unscathed are inflation-resistant, defensive firms. Of course, those businesses that have a significant presence outside the UK will also fare well. Domestic companies will be the ones to bear the brunt of the pain.
The best Brexit investment?
The UKs leading index, the FTSE 100, may be the best way to play this trend. More than two-thirds of the indexs earnings come from outside the UK, and it has recently received a boost from lower sterling. Whats more, by buying into itas a whole via an index tracker, youre bypassing company-specific risk. As its impossible to know which companies will fare best from Brexit, this is probably a excellent idea.
To sum up, at this moment in time its almost impossible to tell exactly what Theresa Mays hard Brexit mean for your portfolio. However, its possible to speculate that inflation will be the main issue investors and policymakers will face over the next few years. Considering these facts, a FTSE 100 tracker fund may be the best bet for investors to ride out the uncertainties ahead.
Make money, not mistakes
Arecent study conducted by financial research firm DALBAR found that the average investor realised an annual return of only 3.7% ayearover the past three decades, underperforming the wider market by around 5.3% annually thanks to poor investment decisions.
To help you streamline your investment process,realise and understand the most common investor mis-steps, the Motley Fool has put together this new free report entitledThe Worst Mistakes Investors Make.
The reportis a collection of Foolish wisdom, which should help you avoid needlessly losing too many more profits.Click hereto download your copytoday.
Rupert Hargreaves has no position in any shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has no position in any of the shares mentioned. We Fools don’t all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.