PARIS (Reuters) – The New York Stock Exchange rose at the opening on Tuesday, a session marked by an extremely close presidential election between Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump and outgoing Democratic Vice-President Kamala Harris.

In early trading, the Dow Jones index gained 2.81 points, or 0.01% to 41,797.41 points and the broader Standard & Poor’s 500 rose 0.22% to 5,725.24 points. The Nasdaq Composite takes 0.39% or 74.24 points, to 18,250.707.

The stakes in the election are so high, the voting intentions so uncertain, that some observers fear that the outcome will not be known for several days, or even could tip a deeply polarized country into violence.

Markets had until recently positioned themselves for a Donald Trump victory, but traders have recently readjusted their positions as Kamala Harris rose in the polls.

Financial assets are not immune to turbulence, with volatility having increased in recent weeks.

“The November 2016 election is a reminder of the extent to which (investors’) positions can be mishandled,” recalls Kenneth Broux, head of corporate research at Société Générale CIB.

If the programs of the two candidates involve two different economic trajectories – more inflationary and more favorable to American companies for Donald Trump – the impact of the election on the geopolitical and global outlook will also contribute to making the markets react in unpredictable ways.

The next meeting of the Federal Reserve on Thursday also calls for caution, although operators consider a 25 basis point rate cut certain on this occasion.

In terms of values, Boeing gained 1.1%, the group’s unionized workers having accepted the aircraft manufacturer’s new salary proposal on Monday and decided to end the seven-week strike which paralyzed the company.

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(Written by Corentin Chappron, edited by Augustin Turpin)

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