Populist billionaire Donald Trump, 70, won a number of key states, bringing him close to defeating his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, and winning the US presidential election.
So far, Trump has received 254 votes, compared to 215 for Clinton.
The possibility of Trump winning the presidency, which would constitute a real political earthquake, violently shook the financial markets.
The dollar fell, while investors turned to safe-haven equities such as gold and bond markets.
Trump, who came from outside the political arena, and who waged a campaign characterized by unprecedented verbal violence, during which he asserted that he would end the corruption of the political elites, had predicted "a historic day … three times stronger than Brexit," referring to the British decision to leave the European Union, which A big shake that defied all expectations.
Americans, and with them the world, follow with great interest the results issued by each state, and there are only a few left: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
Clinton had arrived in New York in the evening, to prepare with her team the speech that she will deliver, regardless of the verdict of the ballot boxes, at the Javits Convention Center.
AFP (Washington)