A BOLTON financial expert is aiming to help voters cut through the spin of the EU referendum debate and help undecided voters to make their mind up by offering his take on the economic situation.

Matthew Bromley, a chartered financial planner at Chorley New Road based Cowgill Holloway, says investors have been worried about the economic impact of both a leave or remain vote on Thursday.

But Mr Bromley, who has worked for the firm since 2013 and has 20 years of experience in the industry, says no-one can accurately forecast the result of the referendum or how either decision would play out after the referendum.

His intervention comes as polls suggest there has been a shift towards a vote to leave the EU, with a You Gov poll giving the Vote Leave campaign a seven point lead.

Mr Bromley said: "Don’t be distracted by ‘noisy’ commentary. Even if there is Brexit, it isn’t clear that there would be significant, permanent investment implications, so it’s important that investors maintain their current view on the UK based on current economic fundamentals.

"We can expect sterling to remain weak for the duration of the campaign. In past episodes of political uncertainty, notably the Scottish referendum, we have seen the yield curve steepen slightly relative to the US, and we could see that happen again if the polls continue to be tight.

"Growth and investment is expected to be modestly lower in the first half of 2016 due to the uncertainty created by the vote. But don’t expect this to outweigh more important factors such as growth in Europe and the US and broader sentiment in global markets.

"Most of these effects should reverse themselves in the event of a remain vote. And do not be surprised if there is talk of another referendum on EU membership if the vote is reasonably close."

Mr Bromley added that if financial markets experience a decrease in value after the referendum, that this should eventually recover.

He said: "If the markets do fall initially, they should all bounce back. There’s even a view that gilts would perform well, as the Bank of England might reintroduce Quantitative Easing.

"If sterling does stay lower, this could be just what the UK economy needs right now, helping to boost competitiveness of UK businesses and exports. The stock market has also tended to rise on sterling weakness, and this pattern might be repeated post-Brexit after an initial bout of uncertainty-induced volatility.

"We may even see an influx of capital into the UK; global investors might consider a more liberal UK an attractive alternative to the sclerotic Eurozone. This could lead to a stronger pound.

"It’s important to remember that the nature of investment is long term. Constantly making changes to take into account short-term events often proves to be counterproductive in the long-term. Movements in currencies and shares are often fairly short-lived, as the result of the Scottish referendum showed."