WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Just five days before the bitter presidential campaign comes to a head a new poll Thursday showed a tightening race, with Hillary Clinton’s edge over Donald Trump shrinking and few voters saying they remain undecided.

The New York Times/CBS News poll showed the Democratic White House hopeful with 45 per cent to her Republican rival’s 42, a three-point lead that had diminished from the more comfortable nine-point margin she had weeks earlier.

Few voters said that they might change their mind in the final dash despite a flurry of late controversies, with 92 per cent saying they were set in their choice.

Last month national polling averages showed Clinton pulling further ahead of Trump as he sank under accusations by a number of women that he had made unwanted sexual advances, but the latest poll showed enthusiasm for the bombastic billionaire was rebounding.

Six in 10 likely voters who have yet to cast their ballots said the allegations had little impact on their choice.

Similarly voters were unmoved by a fresh probe into Clinton’s emails, which broke on October 28 the same day the poll began. Most voters said they were aware of the development but 62 per cent said the revelation made no difference.

The dramatic tightening in the polls has convulsed financial markets worldwide in the past few days. The dollar slipped against the euro, while the Mexican peso — sensitive to Trump’s threat to build a wall on the country’s border — lost one percent.