Stock markets surge as Brexit vote fears ease

Stock markets began the week with a bang following the release of some polls that showed a shift in support for the "Remain" side ahead of this week's Brexit vote.

Over the weekend, three polls showed that the"Remain" side had recovered some of the ground that had been lost,
giving investors more confidence to move into riskier assets.

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Investors, who had been selling stocks amid nervousness over the outcome of the Brexit vote, reacted to the news by buying up equities.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 129.71points to finish at 17,804.87. The broader S&P 500 was up 12.03 points to 2,083.25, while the Nasdaqcomposite gained36.87 points to end at 4,837.21.

On Bay street, the S&P/TSX composite index added 113.37points to reach14,015.14.

The price of oil was higher, with benchmark North American crude settling at $49.96US per barrel, a gain of $1 40US.

In foreign exchange trading, the U.S. dollar was downagainst major currencies. The loonie was up 0.42ofa cent at 78.07cents US, while the British pound jumped more than three cents at 1.4666US. The euro was also higher against the greenback.

Gold, which had been gaining ground as investors sought security ahead of the Brexit vote, was lower by $2.70 US per ounce, finishingat $1,292US.