Initial projections showed Le Pen’s far-right party in front of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance and the left-wing New Popular Front — but with potentially fewer votes than it needs to secure an absolute majority after a second round of voting.
The euro strengthened as traders digested signs Marine Le Pen’s far-right party was poised to win the first round of France’s legislative election with a smaller margin than some polls had indicated.
The common currency climbed 0.3% to US$1.0745 in early Asia trading, its strongest since Tuesday. European equity futures also climbed, while French bond contracts edged higher, shrugging off a selloff in global peers.
