In the pre-opening, the European indices traded with some gains. In an early stage, the good performance of Wall Street should boost European markets. However, this momentum should be limited by the strength of the Euro. At a time when the Euro appreciates sharply against the US dollar, European markets tend to underperformance with their US counterparts. Despite the dynamism of domestic consumption and investment, European companies continue to have high exposure to external markets. In these economies, many of them going through a less dynamic phase (such as China and on a larger scale to Brazil), the companies of the Old Continent face strong competition from American and Asian companies. The strength of the Euro exacerbates the competitiveness of these companies and also decreases the value of revenues and profits generated there.