With much of Europe and Asia, including the U.K., France, Germany and China markets closed for Labor Day, Asian stocks and the dollar rose buoyed by news that Congress had reached a deal to keep the US government funded through the end of September. S&P futures are up 4 points or 0.2%. Oil declined as rigs targeting crude in the U.S. rose for a fifteenth week and output from Libya rebounded.
With one week to go until the runoff round in the French presidential elections, Marine Le Pen - materially lagging her rival Macron according to daily polls - on Saturday chose defeated first-round candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan as her prime minister, in a last-minute attempt to court his voters and help her defeat her opponent.
"As President of the Republic I will name Nicolas Dupont-Aignan Prime Minister, supported by a presidential majority and united by the national interest," she told a news conference in Paris at which the two politicians sat together.
Marine Le Pen Update
Paul Craig Roberts
That Marine Le Pen has gained sufficient electoral support to have pushed aside the two traditional French political parties and is one of two candidates for President of France on May 7 has Washington, the EU, and the French elite determined that she be defeated at all costs.
Authored by Pater Tenebrarum via Acting-Man.com,
Slightly Premature Victory Laps
Only Marine Le Pen Represents France
Paul Craig Roberts
Marine Le Pen is the only candidate for the French presidency who represents France. All the rest represent Washington and the EU. Why are the French people so slow to see the obvious facts? France died with Charles de Gaulle. He was the last French president.