Uncertainty prevails over exactly when and how Brexit will take place; we can expect recurrent bouts of market volatility in the months ahead. Central banks across the world have said they will do what it takes to safeguard financial stability and maintain smooth functioning of their markets. We expect the global financial system to stay resilient, given ample liquidity and the generally stronger balance sheets of banks. But the UK economy is expected to take a hit and there will be some fallout on the EU. Uncertainty, especially over the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU and its future access to EU markets, will weigh on business confidence and investment spending. Growth in the EU will be weighed down by Brexit, on account of its significant trade and financial linkages with the UK. This in turn is likely to have a small dampening effect on global growth. The political and social implications of Brexit could have more significant economic consequences over the medium to long term. But it is too early to tell what these implications might be. There are several key elections taking place in Europe next year. They will determine the ability of governments to maintain support for structural reforms as well as for the European project. Destabilisation of politics in Europe could impact global markets and global growth. The US is expected to stay on a moderate expansion path. The consensus growth forecast for 2016 is 1.9%.
But in a world in which capital flows freely, local attempts to control the pace of credit creation, particularly within the financial system, may not work. All of that will need to be thought through. But first we need to concentrate on the immediate challenges. Summary In a speech four months ago, I stressed that “we must try to avoid a vicious circle in which tighter liquidity conditions, lower asset values, impaired capital resources, reduced credit supply, and slower aggregate demand feed back on each other”. I identified monetary policy, liquidity policy, and regulatory capital policy as being amongst the instruments the authorities would need to use. That remains the case, as the stress in the global financial system has  4  BIS Review 38/2008  continued and, in the US at least, evidence of a feedback loop is apparent. Each of those instruments is constrained in some degree. That underlines the need for close co-operation between the authorities and the industry, and internationally. BIS Review 38/2008  5