The stock market surged during the presidential debate

After an intense first presidential debate between US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, stocks are higher.

S&P 500 futures rose just over 16 points over the course of the debate. The index sat at 2,151.50 at 10:40 p.m. Eastern time rup from 2,135 at 9 p.m.

Additionally, the Mexican peso strengthened against the US dollar, which according to Business Insider Australia's Paul Colgan, means foreign exchange traders graded the debate as a win for Clinton.

Asian markets including Japan's Nikkei and China's Shanghai Composite were selling off slightly, which the Hong Kong Hang Seng index was up a tad.

Gold was also lower, falling $2.80 over the course of the debate.

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