Marine Le Pen's Lead Widens In Latest Electoral Poll

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's lead over her two main challengers in France's upcoming presidential election was seen widening, according to an electoral poll published Tuesday morning, New York Time. The poll, conducted by communications firm Elabe for French TV station BFMTV and magazine L'Express, showed Le Pen's lead in the first round of voting increasing between one-and-a-half and two percentage points since a previous poll published on Feb. 8. In addition, conservative candidate Francois Fillon overtook Emmanuel Macron, who is believed to have a better chance of beating Le Pen in the second round. A victory by Le Pen, which could portend a French exit from the European Union, is typically seen as negative for risky assets like stocks, and positive for safety plays like gold, the Japanese yen and Treasurys.