Panicked Americans are researching how to emigrate online after early election results pointed to a shock election victory for Donald Trump.
There was an explosion in search traffic on Google for terms such as “emigrate” and “how to emigrate to Canada” following the announcement of a series of victories in key swing states for the Republican nominee.
Huge numbers of internet surfers worldwide also began googling the phrase “end of the world” when the news broke.
And in Canada, the government’s website crashed after it was inundated with visitors apparently researching how to become Canadian citizens.
Mr Trump now stands before a clear path to election victory, having won the election battlegrounds of Florida, Ohio and North Carolina.
The results have shocked pollsters, who until Tuesday night put his chances of winning at around 10 per cent.
They have also seen the US dollar plunge, with stock markets thrown into disarray under the mounting evidence that Mr Trump could soon become America’s next president.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank by more than 750 points after initial returns showed the Republican candidate performing far better than expected in key battleground states.
And in Mexico, where Mr Trump is seen as a major threat to the country’s economy, the peso slumped to a record low against the dollar.
Neil Wilson, a markets expert at ETX Capital, described the situation as “chaotic”, with many investors taking shelter.
“There was a major sell-off in stocks while havens like the yen and gold are soaring as the Sunshine States gives Trump a very good chance at the White House,” he said.
“Dow futures are down more than 450 points and USD/JPY is trading at just above 102.
“Mexico’s peso is getting whacked and has plunged to close to 20 against the dollar – down nearly 10% from its high earlier this morning.
“The proxy trade is speaking loud and clear at the moment.”
Telegraph
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