It's not hype, its true. I routinely track the €-$ exchange rate (because I have nothing else to do) and have seen a steady decline in the Euro since a few weeks ago. A lot of it has to do with the German economy, which is stagnating due to inflationary pressures and less-than-projected GDP growth. And since Germany makes up a huge portion of the EU's economic health, its taken its toll on the value of the Euro.