If Labour get in will the pound tank?

[i claudius]

I wonder if labour proped up by the SNP get it is it going to be very bad news for the pound , dont believe that they will not get into bed with the snp ,They will do anything ,just like Blair to be in power.

[smokie36]

Or just like the Tories or the Lib Dems or any modern politician really.

[emilymat]

Hmmm....Tony Blair won by a landslide in 1997 as I recall.

On your main question, I suspect the pound will fluctuate quite a bit over the next few weeks. I could take some time for any new government to 'emerge' - if the polls are correct.

The speculators always refer to 'uncertainty' being their main worry.

By the way, I don't believe the SNP would bring a minority Labour government down, in any circumstances. It would not suit them at all to do this. So, I for one , do not subscribe to this popular myth, being pedalled continuously by the Conservatives. I agree with Smokie, that whatever the outcome, some form of 'understanding' will emerge between different groups - whoever wins.

They are all 'practical' politicians, including Alex Salmond, and I doubt any of them want another election, which could happen even under a fixed term parliament.

Thursday/Friday will be fascinating, but the following days could be even more so.

[Eff1n2ret]

As for weeks the polls have been suggesting that the most likely outcome is a hung Parliament in which the only workable coalition (whether formal or informal) will be Labour/SNP, I would have thought that the financial markets would already have factored that into the current rate - so maybe initially it won't make a great deal of difference.

I must say I was startled to see last week that the pound jumped from around 48-49 baht to over 50. This may be because of a weakness in the baht, but whatever the reason I had sufficient funds to jump in and buy enough to keep me going till late in the year, so I won't be worrying too much one way or the other.