In the last 5 years the dollar to euro excanhge has gone from about $1 to 1 EU to where it stands today which is around $1.5 to 1EU. That means the Euro version of J6P has seen his purchasing power increase by 50%. That doesnt even factor in investing in a strong market. Its not just wealthy foreigners as relative to the US the rest of the world is getting alot wealthier.