RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Brazil's real gained for a fourth day on Thursday in volatile trading despite a poll suggesting leftist former mayor Fernando Haddad could beat far right firebrand Jair Bolsonaro in a presidential run-off later this month.
A second-round vote would be held on Oct. 28 if no candidate clinches more than 50 percent of ballots as expected in a hotly contested election on Sunday that has revealed deep divides among voters in Latin America's largest economy.
The real currency BRL strengthened 0.25 percent to 3.8923 per dollar, after weakening just after open on Thursday. It continued to hover around highs not seen since mid-August.
A poll Wednesday night showed that in a simulated second round vote, Haddad would get 43 percent of the vote against Bolsonaro's 41 percent, a technical tie.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain running on a law and order platform, has offended many with his racist and misogynistic comments. But many business elites are betting he would promote market friendly policies.
Meanwhile, Haddad, a Workers Party academic, is seen as more likely to overturn pro-business reforms made under unpopular center-right President Michel Temer and has recently described markets as "an abstract entity that terrorizes the public."