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

Trendingnow

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

3

A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

3

A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
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
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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

Reassuring dad sits with frustrated adult son
SuccessCost of living
1 in 3 young adults were still living with their parents in 2025—that’s more than the during pandemic and they’re not even unemployed
By Emma BurleighJune 22, 2026
12 minutes ago
Brian Moynihan
SuccessProductivity
By 7 a.m., Bank of America’s CEO has already read 5 newspapers, his email inbox, and hit the gym—he says if you’re late to meetings, you’re ‘selfish’
By Preston ForeJune 22, 2026
19 minutes ago
Americans are fleeing the U.S. at record rates—an ex-Google engineer who left India to build a $7.2 billion AI firm says they’re making a mistake
SuccessView from the C-Suite
Americans are fleeing the U.S. at record rates—an ex-Google engineer who left India to build a $7.2 billion AI firm says they’re making a mistake
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 22, 2026
37 minutes ago
Current price of gold as of June 22, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 22, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago
Alan Greenspan dies at 100. As Fed chair, he was hailed as the ‘Oracle’ but later admitted he made a mistake assuming banks could self-regulate
EconomyObituary
Alan Greenspan dies at 100. As Fed chair, he was hailed as the ‘Oracle’ but later admitted he made a mistake assuming banks could self-regulate
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks June 22, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on June 22, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
Success
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
By Emma BurleighJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
Economy
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump's playbook — 'We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows'
By Jason MaJune 20, 2026
2 days ago
NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
Success
NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
By Preston ForeJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
Health
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
By Ali Swenson, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
2 days ago
Tenzin Seldon: The GLP-1 boom is the biggest climate story no one is pricing in
Commentary
Tenzin Seldon: The GLP-1 boom is the biggest climate story no one is pricing in
By Tenzin SeldonJune 21, 2026
1 day 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.