Poll finds Obama leading Romney on economy, taxes

President Obama slightly increased his lead over GOP challenger Mitt Romney this month, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll out on Wednesday that puts Obama ahead of Romney, 49 percent to Romney's 42 percent support.

That's an increase of one percetnage point from last month, which, while not a substantial increase, aligns with other polls out recently showing Obama slightly ahead of the former Massachusetts Governor.

But the poll doesn't bring all good news for Obama — a large majority, almost two-thirds, of Americans think the country is on the wrong track. However, Obama seems to be making inroads on what a 45 percent plurality of poll respondents agreed was the most important issue in the nation: the economy. 

Forty-six percent of registered voters see Obama as stronger on jobs and the economy, a 2-percentage-point lead over Romney and a reversal for Obama, who last month was seen as less capable than his challenger when it came to jobs and the economy. And the negative attacks on Romney's career as a venture capitalist and his refusal to release years of tax returns could be taking its toll, as Obama has a large lead on taxes — with 49 percent of registered voters saying the president is stronger on that issue, compared to 38 percent for Romney.

The poll is one of many released on Wednesday that spell bad news for Romney, as Obama sees leads in battleground states Virginia and Wisconsin and also has a higher favorability rating than Romney, whose unfavorability rating has grown since May.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted among 1,168 adults, including 1,014 registered voters, from Aug. 2-6, and has a 3.4 percent margin of error for registered voters and 3 percent for all respondents.