Barack Obama and John McCain looked to return their White House campaigns to the economy on Monday after a week of personal attacks.

Republican nominee Mr McCain is due to unveil a new economic strategy, while Mr Obama will address supporters on the current financial crisis later today.

Mr McCain's campaign team had been accused by the Democrats of ignoring the economic issues to avoid comparisons with the current administration.

But the latest tracking poll from Reuters/C-Spain/Zogby showed the 72-year-old had cut the gap between him and his Illinois senator rival to four points, with Mr Obama on 48 per cent.

Pollster John Zogby said Mr McCain was showing signs of recovery after being judged to have lost the first two presidential debates.

"One day does not make a trend, but perhaps McCain may have stopped some bleeding - and there was bleeding," he said.

A separate poll conducted for the Washington Post and ABC News showed Mr Obama extending his lead over Mr McCain, senator for Arizona.

The poll of 1,101 included 945 registered voters and revealed a 53 per cent backing for Mr Obama, compared to 43 per cent for Mr McCain.

Fifty-nine per cent of respondents said Mr McCain and running-mate Sarah Palin were wrong to target Mr Obama, while 68 per cent said the Democratic nominee was doing more to address the real issues.

On Wednesday the two men will hold their final debate of the presidential campaign, this time at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York.

Unveiling details of his new economic plan – which includes lower taxes for investors and a refinancing of mortgage debt – Mr McCain was in bullish mood.

He said that he and Mrs Palin would step up their campaigning across the United States after the final debate.

"After I whip [Mr Obama's] you-know-what in this debate, we're going to be going out," he said.
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