Paris - The relentless slide in the euro is proving a major boost to European earnings after years of stagnating profits, just when US results start to lose steam.
As Europe's earnings season draws to an end, companies have reported a 15.9% surge in fourth-quarter profits - the biggest rise in European earnings since mid-2011 and well ahead of a 6.8% rise in US quarterly profits - with European firms starting to reap the benefits from a lower currency.
The euro has fallen by about 25% against the dollar over the past year. This is set to give a major lift to European companies as roughly 50% of euro zone earnings are coming from outside the region.