European markets open higher extending Macron rally; Swedbank, Novartis report

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Despite their parallels, and against the consensus of other worldwide leaders, Trump has intimated his bet on - notably, not his endorsement of - Macron's opponent, Marine Le Pen.

The French campaign was dogged by constant speculation, with some pundits raising the spectre of a "hidden vote" for rightwing Fillon or Le Pen, sampling errors or a herd mentality among the pollsters.

President Hollande said the far right threatens Europe's break-up, "profoundly divide France" and "faced with such a risk, I will vote for Emmanuel Macron".

Macron will contest the second round for the French presidency against Marine Le Pen on 7 May, after finishing top in the first round with 24 per cent of the vote. Voters rejected the two mainstream parties that have alternated power for decades in favor of Le Pen and the untested Macron, who has never held elected office and who founded his own political movement just a year ago. Nine other candidates were eliminated.

The results of the first round were largely in line with polling - a factor which helped calm market jitters on Monday as analysts had warned that any sniff of a win for Ms Le Pen could have seen the euro reach parity with the dollar.

It reflected an erosion of concern for a possible capital flight in the event of an election win for Ms Le Pen, who wants the country out of the euro.

In 2002, when Jean-Marie Le Pen (Marine's father) made it to the second round for the Front National, he only marginally increased his vote share from the first round because he wasn't able to draw on any substantial transfer of votes. "Patriots should come together to fight those who promote unbridled globalisation", she said. The Socialist candidate, Benoit Hamon, received a scant 6.4 percent, probably based on what the French consider to have been the miserable performance of the current Socialist president, Francois Hollande, commonly known by his critics as "Nul" ("zero").

North Korea warns U.S. to end military hysteria or face retaliation
Vice Minister Han Song Ryol said Friday, "At a time and at a place where the headquarters deems necessary, it will take place". North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presides over a military parade in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017.

Of the 37 million people who voted in the first round, just under half backed Le Pen or Macron.

"The first phase of negotiations with the European Union will be marked by sharp discord that is likely to be negative for the pound (and euro)", BMO Capital Markets currency strategist, Stephen Gallo, said. He was silent the day after voting, leaving the field open to Le Pen who canvassed support in northern France where unemployment is high.

"The cloud is going to clear because now we're head-to-head and French people are going to discover the content of his project which will have a severe social, economic and migratory impact", she said.

For Le Pen, her rival in the election, independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, is part of the elite, which she calls the "oligarchy".

Le Pen has called on French Jews to make these "sacrifices" to curb radical Islam and has promised to be French Jewry's "shield" against Islam.

But the credibility of the British industry was already in doubt after a general election in 2015 when it failed to detect a surge in support for the Conservative party of then-prime minister David Cameron.

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