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As UK voters head to the polls on Thursday to say whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union, markets are tumultuous as investors balk with fears that the EU's second-largest economy will depart the union.
"Far-right nationalists and neoliberal capitalists will survive the demise of institutions like the EU."
--John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus
Yet a select class of uber-wealthy capitalists are excitedly looking to pounce on the market no matter the outcome--using polling information they've bought and paid for, unavailable to the general public.
"Hedge-fund managers are sensing opportunity," as Bloomberg observes. "After enduring the worst first-quarter returns since the start of the financial crisis, the prospect of Britain voting to leave the European Union is creating the market turmoil that can make them money."
Taking advantage of UK election law that forbids exit polling data from being published before 10pm on the day of an election--to prevent exit polls from influencing votes--hedge funds are paying for private polling companies to perform exit polls throughout the country, so they'll be able to bet on the outcome before the general public learns of it.
"As we have seen, when polls have been published suggesting that Leave might win, the pound has fallen on the currency markets," explains the Independent. "Any trader with inside information on what the outcome of the referendum might be could, therefore, make a lot of money."
One investment advisor predicts that hedge funds may be able to confidently predict the outcome of the vote--and therefore manipulate the market to their advantage--a full two hours before the rest of the public finds out the result of the referendum.
Northern Ireland's Belfast Telegraph reports:
Heavyweight financial institutions have approached pollsters as they look to be the first to reap the rewards from a swing in the value of the pound triggered by the result on June 24.
[...] Kathleen Brooks, research director of City Index, said: "Although the Remain camp has managed to stem the recent wave of support for the Brexiteers, the outcome is still very much uncertain."
"There is no official exit poll due on Thursday night, however, rumour has it that some large hedge funds have organised their own unofficial exit polls, so expect lots of volatility throughout the night as we all try to cut through the fog of the vote count to find out who will emerge victorious."
According to the Belfast Telegraph, David Neuhauser, managing director of activist hedge fund Livermore Partners, told Bloomberg TV that if there is "a short run, there is a lot of dislocation, valuations are blowing down and there is some really unique companies with some really unique assets, we want to buy situations just like that for sure."
Indeed, as John Feffer writes in Foreign Policy in Focus, "far-right nationalists and neoliberal capitalists will survive the demise of institutions like the EU."
But for those less concerned with profit, and more concerned with human rights, refugee protections, trade reform, and cross-border solidarity--such as the recently murdered anti-Brexit MP Jo Cox--Feffer wonders if Britain severing ties with the EU might spell the demise of that inclusive vision for Europe.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
As UK voters head to the polls on Thursday to say whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union, markets are tumultuous as investors balk with fears that the EU's second-largest economy will depart the union.
"Far-right nationalists and neoliberal capitalists will survive the demise of institutions like the EU."
--John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus
Yet a select class of uber-wealthy capitalists are excitedly looking to pounce on the market no matter the outcome--using polling information they've bought and paid for, unavailable to the general public.
"Hedge-fund managers are sensing opportunity," as Bloomberg observes. "After enduring the worst first-quarter returns since the start of the financial crisis, the prospect of Britain voting to leave the European Union is creating the market turmoil that can make them money."
Taking advantage of UK election law that forbids exit polling data from being published before 10pm on the day of an election--to prevent exit polls from influencing votes--hedge funds are paying for private polling companies to perform exit polls throughout the country, so they'll be able to bet on the outcome before the general public learns of it.
"As we have seen, when polls have been published suggesting that Leave might win, the pound has fallen on the currency markets," explains the Independent. "Any trader with inside information on what the outcome of the referendum might be could, therefore, make a lot of money."
One investment advisor predicts that hedge funds may be able to confidently predict the outcome of the vote--and therefore manipulate the market to their advantage--a full two hours before the rest of the public finds out the result of the referendum.
Northern Ireland's Belfast Telegraph reports:
Heavyweight financial institutions have approached pollsters as they look to be the first to reap the rewards from a swing in the value of the pound triggered by the result on June 24.
[...] Kathleen Brooks, research director of City Index, said: "Although the Remain camp has managed to stem the recent wave of support for the Brexiteers, the outcome is still very much uncertain."
"There is no official exit poll due on Thursday night, however, rumour has it that some large hedge funds have organised their own unofficial exit polls, so expect lots of volatility throughout the night as we all try to cut through the fog of the vote count to find out who will emerge victorious."
According to the Belfast Telegraph, David Neuhauser, managing director of activist hedge fund Livermore Partners, told Bloomberg TV that if there is "a short run, there is a lot of dislocation, valuations are blowing down and there is some really unique companies with some really unique assets, we want to buy situations just like that for sure."
Indeed, as John Feffer writes in Foreign Policy in Focus, "far-right nationalists and neoliberal capitalists will survive the demise of institutions like the EU."
But for those less concerned with profit, and more concerned with human rights, refugee protections, trade reform, and cross-border solidarity--such as the recently murdered anti-Brexit MP Jo Cox--Feffer wonders if Britain severing ties with the EU might spell the demise of that inclusive vision for Europe.
As UK voters head to the polls on Thursday to say whether Britain should leave or remain in the European Union, markets are tumultuous as investors balk with fears that the EU's second-largest economy will depart the union.
"Far-right nationalists and neoliberal capitalists will survive the demise of institutions like the EU."
--John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus
Yet a select class of uber-wealthy capitalists are excitedly looking to pounce on the market no matter the outcome--using polling information they've bought and paid for, unavailable to the general public.
"Hedge-fund managers are sensing opportunity," as Bloomberg observes. "After enduring the worst first-quarter returns since the start of the financial crisis, the prospect of Britain voting to leave the European Union is creating the market turmoil that can make them money."
Taking advantage of UK election law that forbids exit polling data from being published before 10pm on the day of an election--to prevent exit polls from influencing votes--hedge funds are paying for private polling companies to perform exit polls throughout the country, so they'll be able to bet on the outcome before the general public learns of it.
"As we have seen, when polls have been published suggesting that Leave might win, the pound has fallen on the currency markets," explains the Independent. "Any trader with inside information on what the outcome of the referendum might be could, therefore, make a lot of money."
One investment advisor predicts that hedge funds may be able to confidently predict the outcome of the vote--and therefore manipulate the market to their advantage--a full two hours before the rest of the public finds out the result of the referendum.
Northern Ireland's Belfast Telegraph reports:
Heavyweight financial institutions have approached pollsters as they look to be the first to reap the rewards from a swing in the value of the pound triggered by the result on June 24.
[...] Kathleen Brooks, research director of City Index, said: "Although the Remain camp has managed to stem the recent wave of support for the Brexiteers, the outcome is still very much uncertain."
"There is no official exit poll due on Thursday night, however, rumour has it that some large hedge funds have organised their own unofficial exit polls, so expect lots of volatility throughout the night as we all try to cut through the fog of the vote count to find out who will emerge victorious."
According to the Belfast Telegraph, David Neuhauser, managing director of activist hedge fund Livermore Partners, told Bloomberg TV that if there is "a short run, there is a lot of dislocation, valuations are blowing down and there is some really unique companies with some really unique assets, we want to buy situations just like that for sure."
Indeed, as John Feffer writes in Foreign Policy in Focus, "far-right nationalists and neoliberal capitalists will survive the demise of institutions like the EU."
But for those less concerned with profit, and more concerned with human rights, refugee protections, trade reform, and cross-border solidarity--such as the recently murdered anti-Brexit MP Jo Cox--Feffer wonders if Britain severing ties with the EU might spell the demise of that inclusive vision for Europe.