SINGAPORE (Nikkei Markets) - Shares in Singapore and Malaysia advanced this week, joining a global rally in equities, as a pro-European Union candidate's victory in the first round of French elections allayed concerns about the future of the bloc.
Emmanuel Macron, seen by investors as market friendly, is in favor of France staying with the E.U. Polls have consistently put Macron well ahead of his far-right opponent Marine Le Pen in the May 7 faceoff. Investors, energized by the prospects of his win, bought into risk assets this week to push equity markets higher. The benchmark French index climbed to its highest level since 2008 and the German gauge hit lifetime highs earlier this week, before retracing marginally. The Nikkei Asia300 was down 0.3% on Friday, but rose over 2% this week.
