"The marginal demand from investors in the developed world would overwhelm anything that is going on domestically in India, " he said.

WSJ: India's Wilting Crops Tarnish Gold

And unless they repeal the laws of diminishing returns, marginal utility and supply and demand, the paper money will lose out.

FORBES: Gold Endures While Paper Money Goes Up In Flames

According to the survey, lacklustre demand resulted in only a marginal rise in employment in June.

BBC: Scottish business going through soft patch, says survey

Growth in demand for permanent staff was only marginal and little-changed from February's 13-month low.

BBC: Woman entering a job centre

To the extent that high oil prices played a role in the recessions of the early 1980s and 2008-09, the main reason is that oil-producing countries tend to have a lower marginal propensity to consume their income, denting global demand.

ECONOMIST: The economic impact of high oil prices

They all face roughly the same (world) demand curve, but each country will have a different marginal cost for getting the oil out.

FORBES: The Global Oil Addiction: An Interactive Graphic