[UnderseaLcpl]

I would also like a European answer.


However, I can give you an American answer right now. The dollar will be bouncing back for a bit, meaning that currency speculators are diverting investments back to the dollar. This is largely due to slipping oil prices. Even though U.S. domestic drilling hasn't really produced much yet, it threatens to lower the price of oil (here). In turn, this means that investors of all types have more confidence in the U.S. economy and U.S. Buisness. They simply seek to take advantage of the fact that the U.S. recession may be coming to and end. For a while.

Here's an experiment in consumer and investor confidence. When the 08' presidential election rolls around, watch what happens if McCain is elected. Now, I'm no McCain fan, but I can guarantee that it will lead to a temporary surge of investment, and therefore, stock and dollar growth.
If Obama wins, which he won't, it may well drop us into another low spot. The dollar will drop again as well.

More important are Congressional elections. If it looks like the dems are going to win it, the stock suffers a little, as wary investors pull out in fear of liberal economic policy. If republicans seem to be gaining control, it gains a bit.
This difference will become less and less pronounced as mainstream conservativism shifts it platform to the left.

Of course, there are many other influences, like the outcome of the holiday season's marketing, and the effect winter has on fuel prices.

This is a brief and horribly oversimplified take on the situation, but it covers the basics.