Investors brace for volatility

Donald Trump said it would be like Brexit plus plus plus.

And for investors as they wake up to the news that Mr Trump has won the presidential election, the feeling will be very similar to that day in June.

The dollar is already weakening against "safe haven" currencies such as the Japanese yen.

Sterling is also strengthening against the dollar and gold - the ultimate safe haven dump - is up in value by nearly 4%.

US stock market futures - judgements on the direction of travel before the major markets open in America later today - have already been suspended as sell offs overnight led to a 5% fall - the limit before automatic brakes are put in place.

About half an hour into trading the FTSE 100 was down 1% - although that's not as steep as the 3.5% that the futures market predicted as the results started coming in.

Two forces are in play.

First, many investors are unclear about the economic direction of travel of a Trump presidency, both domestically and in the wider world.

And second, Mr Trump has pledged to "tear up" international free trade agreements, a move which many believe will be bad for global economic growth.

2016 has been a remarkable year of volatility and uncertainty in the markets and for investors, as Britain's exit from the European Union followed the stock market crisis in China.

And, don't forget, we are also in the middle of the biggest, untested monetary experiment ever attempted by central banks following the financial crisis - $12.3tn of quantitative easing, or money printing, to stop the world lurching into deep recession.

Investors and markets are no longer sure which way is up.