So y'all don't think the financial markets have been hedging their positions in both directions for the last several months, adjusting with the latest polls?
But "the latest polls" (including up to the end of the voting period) still put the final vote on Remain. It would have been impossible to adjust for that. Plus, the financial markets have more than just where their money is virtually, but also physically. There were talks about major banking industries moving from London to (possibly) Frankfurt. THAT is something that one does not do lightly.
And what happens if UK continues on economically essentially the same as before the vote? It seems Switzerland hasn't collapsed in a financial pyre yet. Nor has Norway. Maybe the UK will simply carry on, only with more local control.
Ah, but consider that Switzerland and Norway have never been part of the EU, have already negotiated trade agreements and controls and migration numbers. The UK did this, but as part of the EU: Now that they are to leave, every single trade agreement, regulation, etc, has to be looked at and re-written. And the EU may not go easy on the UK, as there are other EU Member states who toy with the idea of leaving. If the EU makes it easy for the UK, then others may try to follow suit. But if the EU takes a hard-line approach to warn others away, then the UK will have an even harder time of it.
That being said, the EU stated that they want to sever the connection "as soon as possible", so there may be some lenient negotiations just to clear the way.
I found this analogy on the Brexit itself. It doesn't cover too much about the post-Brexit implications, but for those who don't fully understand the UK/EU split, it might help:
http://www.vox.com/2016/6/24/12023670/brexit-results-referendum-americaThis webpage goes into much more detail on the economic quagmire that the UK is in:
http://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/12021222/brexit-what-happens-nextAnyway, it is a big deal. I've read some comments on the internet where someone says "Oh, give it a couple of days and let the markets settle". Sure, there will be some settling of markets. But in the background, there is a mountain of movement and shuffling of people, companies and money that is difficult to fathom.