• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
Finance

U.S. Stocks Plummet 500 Points on Brexit

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 24, 2016, 1:16 PM ET
Trading On The Floor Of The NYSE As U.S. Stocks Tumble Amid Global Selloff After U.K. Brexit Vote
Bloomberg Bloomberg via Getty Images

Brexit is landing a body blow to the Dow and the S&P today. And investors should feel pretty good about it.

U.S. stocks dropped on Friday as the investors digested what the effects of the U.K. leaving the European Union would mean for the U.S. economy. Of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average, only one, Walmart (WMT) was up. Of the other 29 that were down, the worst performer was Goldman Sachs (GS), which was down nearly 5%, or $7.50 a share to $140. The next worst performer was Caterpillar, which was down nearly 4.5%.

In all, the Dow was down over 500 points by mid-day. And the S&P 500 was off 61 points, or just under 3%.

As measured in real economic terms, a Brexit news shouldn’t actually be all that bad for the U.S. The U.K. accounts for only a small portion of U.S. exports, less than 3% of the combined revenue of all of the companies in the S&P 500. Europe in general makes up a bigger portion, and the economic consequences of Brexit for the rest of the EU will likely be limited, at least in the immediate future.

But over the past few years markets and investors have tended to overreact in the short term to any alarming news, especially to big events like a Brexit. The reason has to do with financial markets. While a Brexit likely can’t cause all that much economic damage to the U.S., a drop in financial markets can, as we learned during the financial crisis. So in recent times, when there has been a whiff of trouble (and today is more than just a whiff) investors have hit the exits, concerned that a big sell off could turn a small economic problem into a big market problem, which could then generate a much bigger economic one. The feedback loop has been toxic.

And right now we should be more vulnerable to a market sell-off than usual. Stocks in the S&P 500 are at an average price-to-earnings ratio of 23 (based on Robert Shiller’s formula for normalizing earnings) compared to a historical average of 15. That, along with the shock from Brexit, would be a combo you’d think would sent stocks tumbling.

And yet while the market is falling, we’re not seeing the death spiral that all these trends might make you expect. And it comes after a number of months of pretty good stock market returns. Indeed, today’s drop has sent the market only back to where it was in mid-May—just 30 days ago. What’s more, the VIX—the stock market “fear gauge,” which measures how much people are paying for protection against future market drops—is at 22. That’s below the 28 it hit this February, and well below the high of nearly 60 it hit during the financial crisis.

Indeed, there may be some fundamental reasons for the overall lack of panic. Economic turmoil abroad will give cover for the Fed and Janet Yellen to raise rates. Companies in the U.S. that compete with the U.K. to sell goods in Europe may have an easier time. And the U.S., New York City in particular, may be able to lure back some financial jobs from firms that are pulling people out of London, though it’s more likely that those jobs would go to some other European capital.

For much of this year, there has been a question of how strong the economy and whether there has been a loss of confidence from investors and consumers. But what today shows, so far, is that investors are much more confident about U.S. stocks, the financial system, and the economy in general than we expected. It may have helped that just last night the Fed gave passing grades to every big bank in the nation on its annual stress test. But either way the big story from the market today is not how much weaker it is from Brexit, but how relatively strong it is despite it.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

U.S. allows Russia oil sales waiver to expire despite tight market
EnergyOil
U.S. allows Russia oil sales waiver to expire despite tight market
By Jennifer A. Dlouhy and BloombergMay 16, 2026
6 hours ago
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a ‘non-linear’ price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
EnergyOil
Oil markets could be a month away from the moment of truth. Brace for a ‘non-linear’ price spike and panic buying, analysts warn
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
10 hours ago
lirr
EconomyRailroads
Spring Hamptons traffic nightmare as Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike
By Philip Marcelo, Nick Lichtenberg and The Associated PressMay 16, 2026
15 hours ago
delivery
Retailecommerce
Walmart’s upper hand over Amazon in the $1 trillion e-commerce race: 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a superstore
By Anne D'Innocenzio and The Associated PressMay 16, 2026
15 hours ago
milei
North AmericaInflation
Argentinians wage inflation strike on red meat sending beef consumption to 20-year low
By Clara Preve and The Associated PressMay 16, 2026
16 hours ago
tom
SuccessEntrepreneurs
Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio got a 15x return on a tech company most Americans have never heard of. He thinks his own industry is broken
By Nick LichtenbergMay 16, 2026
18 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
17 hours ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
7 hours ago
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
Success
Despite having a $165 million net worth, Scarlett Johansson says work-life balance doesn’t exist—and the first step to success is admitting that
By Preston ForeMay 13, 2026
4 days ago
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
Future of Work
Meet the 20-year-old CEO who launched a company in high school to solve Gen Z's entry-level job crisis
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
21 hours ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
4 days ago
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
Future of Work
‘You’re not a hero, you’re a liability’: Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary warns Gen Z founders to stop glorifying hustle culture
By Jacqueline MunisMay 16, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.