An Ipsos poll published on Sunday showed Le Pen and centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron comfortably ahead of their political rivals on around 25 and 24 percent of the first round vote respectively.
However, Macron is seen winning by an overwhelming majority over Le Pen if, as looks increasingly likely, the two were to go head-to-head in the second and final round of the vote on May 7.
In the event of Le Pen losing out to Macron, or any other candidate, JP Morgan said in a note published Monday that a surge of inflows into European stocks could be expected. It estimated at least 10 percent of assets under management could flow back into Europe’s stock markets assuming Le Pen was unable to defy the election odds.
Despite the opinion polls, UBS advised caution in assuming Macron would emerge victorious in May. The bank had forecast Le Pen would stand a 40 percent chance of becoming president of France in mid-March.
