Investing.com - The euro rose to its highest level in three weeks against the dollar on Thursday after a new opinion poll indicating that centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron will win the French presidential election.
EUR/USD was up 0.3% to 1.0741 by 07.48 GMT, the most since March 30.
The Harris Interactive opinion poll showed that 25% of voters intended to vote for Macron in the run-up to Sunday’s first round of voting, ahead of Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front party on 22%.
Republican candidate Francois Fillon was at 19% and left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon was also at 19%.
The poll also showed Macron comfortably beating Le Pen in the second round of voting two weeks later at 66% to 34%.
Investors are fearful over the prospect of a second round run-off between euro skeptics Melenchon and Le Pen, who both want to put the country’s European Union membership to a vote.
The euro was also higher against the yen, with EUR/JPY adding 0.41% to trade at 117.07, the highest level since April 11.
Against sterling the single currency was little changed, with EUR/GBP at 0.8378. The euro fell to four-month lows of 0.8312 on Tuesday after British Prime Minister Theresa May called for early elections.
The pound was boosted by expectations that May will win a substantial majority in the elections, securing her position ahead of talks with the European Union about the terms for Brexit.