Financial markets wasted no time in giving their verdict on the first U.S. presidential debate: Donald Trump didn’t do well.
As Trump and Hillary Clinton sparred on live TV, one key financial barometer of the Republican nominee’s prospects started moving sharply: the Mexican peso soared more than 2% against the dollar.
In recent weeks, the Mexican currency has been moving in the opposite direction to Trump’s poll numbers. As they have improved, the peso has dropped, hitting an all-time low against the dollar ahead of Monday night’s debate.
Its sudden leap during the debate was a clear reaction to Trump’s performance, according to Ihab Salib, head of international fixed income at Federated Investors. A CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers released after the event found 62% felt Clinton won compared with 27% for Trump.
Trump, however, told CNN that the debate “went better than I ever thought.”
