Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama extended his slight advantage over his Republican rival John McCain after Friday's presidential debate, according to a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg survey published on Monday.

Obama has made strides in convincing Americans that he can handle the toughest challenges facing the country, including the financial meltdown and international crises, the survey showed.

The Illinois senator extended his advantage to 49 percent to 44 percent, compared with last week, when the same respondents gave him a 48 percent to 45 percent edge.

Though more voters still see McCain as more knowledgeable, Obama was seen as more "presidential" by 46 percent of debate-watchers, compared with 33 percent for the Arizona senator.

After the debate, 43 percent of registered voters who saw the event said Obama had more "honesty and integrity," compared with 34 percent for McCain. A week ago, the same voters were evenly divided, with each candidate winning the trust of 40 percent of respondents.

The Times/Bloomberg poll surveyed 448 registered voters who had participated in a poll a week earlier and who watched the debate. The poll was conducted by telephone Friday evening through Sunday. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Editor: Yan