European markets rally on likely result of French polls

London

THE euro, French and other European stock markets rallied sharply on expectations that Emmanuel Macron would defeat Marine Le Pen and become the next President of France.

On the news that Mr Macron, the centrist, eurozone-enthusiast candidate, was the leader in the first round of the presidential campaign, the euro jumped by 2.2 per cent to 1.094 against the US dollar, and then settled at 1.086.