Trump poised for shock White House win

State-by-state, one-by-one, the 70-year-old maverick Republican tycoon racked up victories in defiance of the forecasts of pundits and pollsters, before arriving within striking distance of the White House.

Key races in Michigan and Pennsylvania remained to be called at 0630 GMT, but the 69-year-old Democrat's supporters were in a state of shock and the markets did not wait for a concession speech to react.

US futures markets fell five percent in after-hours trading, mirrored by falls in London and Tokyo as the news broke that the world's greatest economy could soon be in the hands of an untested protectionist.

The dollar tumbled against the yen and the Mexican peso slumped to a historic low against even the weaker greenback, on concerns that Trump might make good on his vow to build a wall on the US border.

In New York, it was a tale of two poll-watching parties -- as Trump's supporters whooped it up in anticipation of a victory for his populist campaign, Clinton's camp succumbed to silent, stunned grief.

"It's unbelievable. I didn't know Trump was really going to pull it off," said Glenn Ruti, a New Yorker who works in telecommunications.

"I think he's going to go all the way. The country wants change."

Attendees at Trump's victory party at a Midtown hotel began chanting "Call it, call it!"

In America as a whole, it was a tale of two countries -- as Trump's largely-white fan base celebrated a repudiation of free trade, open borders and diverse communities, liberals and minorities cringed.

"It's just unbelievable," said 51-year-old Anabel Evora, who works for a non-profit and flew into New York as a supporter of Clinton's historic bid to be America's first woman president.

"I am praying, and I am not religious," she told AFP. "I am sad. I'm about to cry."

At the Mexican-American bar Campeon in Manhattan's Union Square, the mood was one of disgust and apprehension.

"If Trump wins, I am going to throw up," said 27-year-old Amy Goldstein. 

Trump's win, if confirmed, would halt Clinton's quest to reach the White House for at least another four years -- and instead confer the title of president on a man who has been accused by a dozen women of sexual assault and misconduct.

"He's so un-American. We're outraged. It's shocking. Racism, stereotyping by religion and sex," said Kate Kalmyka, a 36-year-old lawyer.