After months of campaigning and ensuing result uncertainty, referendum – or neverendum – week was finally upon us. Such has been the level of global interest surrounding this historic vote that most other market influencing variables took a back seat to what has been described as ‘the biggest decision in a generation’.

Foreign Investment - Foreign investors will withdraw from the UK if it were to leave the EU.

There are concerns that foreign investors will withdraw from the UK if the country leaves the EU. So far it is difficult to conclude that even the prospect of Brexit is slowing the flow of inward investment - across a number of measures, 2014 was a record year. Surveys indicate that research and development will be the focus of investment projects over the coming years - an area for which the UK is very attractive.

Until recently investors tended to see the possible departure of Britain from the European Union as a domestic issue. In the last week that parochial view has broadened. Central banks in The United States and Japan both postponed changes to monetary policy, at least in part because of the uncertainties posed by next Thursday's referendum.
At the Bank of Japan some board members "were concerned that even if the BOJ acted this week, the market impact of its move would fade if a 'Brexit' vote rocked global financial markets".
In the States, Federal Reserve chairperson Janet Yellen said it "could have consequences for economic and financial conditions in global financial markets".

Sterling felt the weight of several EU referendum opinion polls released over the weekend: both indicating the Leave campaign has nudged into the lead ahead of the 23 June vote. A YouGov poll for ITV placed Leave ahead on 45 to 41 per cent, while a new poll by Opinium for The Observer showed the Leave camp has a three point lead on 43 to 40 per cent.

Public Finances - The UK's budget balance would improve substantially if we were to leave the EU.

MYTH 3 - Financial Services - Swiss financial services have thrived outside the EU - This could be the model for the UK.

Some Euro sceptics look towards the Swiss financial services industry, which has thrived outside the EU, and believe this model could work for the UK. However, Switzerland's relationship with the EU is complex and could not be replicated easily. 

The single currency regained ground on sterling this week thanks to some rare pro-Brexit sentiment in the UK, but felt the weight of interest rate announcements in the US.

Last Friday the Federal Reserve chairperson, Janet Yellen, made a long-awaited pubic appearance. Investors were eager to hear whether she would endorse the comments made by her colleagues over the previous couple of weeks, pointing to higher interest rates in June or July. She sort of did, confirming that "probably in the coming months such a move would be appropriate". It was not warning that investors should gird their loins for a rate hike this month but Ms Yellen certainly did not rule out the possibility and her remarks were broadly positive for the dollar.

MYTH 2 -  Trade & Industry - The UK's trade balance will collapse if we withdraw from the EU.

The UK runs a deficit in goods and a surplus in services with the EU. We believe the idea that the UK's trade balance would collapse if the country leaves the EU is an exaggeration. The UK may even be able to retain access to the single market, which takes almost half its exports. Yet it might have to accept most EU rules and even pay money to Brussels in return, like Norway and Switzerland.