ALBERT EDWARDS: Brexit will be good for the UK economy
In fact, the Societe Generale strategist and über-bear believes that Brexit would end up helping the United Kingdom's economy.
While Edwards did not take an official position on the outcome of the vote by UK citizens on whether to remain or leave the European Union, he believed that the devaluation of the British pound following a vote to leave the EU would be beneficial.
"Yes of course a fall in sterling increases import prices and squeezes household real incomes, but the booming profits companies enjoy from a weaker sterling should generate a virtuous wage price spiral and take us away from the deflationary abyss that awaits all developed economies in the next recession," Edwards wrote in a note to clients Wednesday.
Edwards is of the opinion that all major economies are headed for a deflationary period of low growth similar to what Japan has experienced over the last few decades. He calls this his "Ice Age" thesis. Thus, the devaluation of the currency will induce inflation that can combat, for a time, this deflationary phenomenon, and help keep the UK economy from the foul fate of the rest of developed world.
Edwards agreed with hedge fund giant George Soros' opinion that the possible ramifications to that of the the "Black Wednesday" devaluation of the pound in 1992 after the UK government pulled the pound from the European Rate Mechanism, a proto-euro of sorts.
While Soros used the comparison as a warning of the possible ramifications, Edwards saw it as a positive opportunity for the UK to rebalance it's economy, or as he said: "It was not a disaster." Here's Edwards (emphasis added):
"After this much-feared event, the UK economy actually recovered strongly and unemployment fell sharply. In a current environment where central banks and governments have failed to generate a strong enough economic recovery to normalize interest rates amid persistent deflationary pressures, one would have thought a substantial decline in one?s currency would be welcomed for that is one way to inject a modicum of inflation back into the economic system. But even in the event of a Remain vote, sterling is in trouble."
Edwards is also skeptical of the "conspiracy of gloom" surrounding a possible Brexit, casting doubt on the forecasts of a recession following a Leave vote from the IMF, OECD, Bank of England and UK Treasury.
"That is indeed possible but it must be said that all of these institutions have been extremely poor at forecasting even one year ahead, let alone forecasting recessions or a crisis," he wrote. "If they are right, and they might well be, it would be a first."
It's not all peaches and cream from Edwards, however, he still is of the opinion that the UK's economy is still in trouble regardless of the Brexit outcome. In his opinion, the British economy, which he calls "a ticking time bomb", has too much public sector debt which will eventually come back to haunt the country.
Regardless, Edwards does seem to favor the economic impact in the short-term from a Brexit.
"I would be much more positive about the immediate post-Brexit economic outlook than Mr Soros," he concluded.
More information on the Brexit referendum can be found below:
