President Obama expanded his lead over challenger Mitt Romney to 6 percentage points, 49 percent to 43 percent, as voters became slightly more optimistic about the economy, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed.

Last month, Obama held a slim 1-point lead over Romney.

Obama’s approval ratings ticked up 1 point to 48 percent and the number of Americans who disapprove of Obama’s job performance dropped 3 percentage points to 47 percent.

READ MORE: Obama expands lead over Romney: poll

Photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed