Needless to say, higher oil prices will (and have already) pushed up prices at the pump across the United States.

FORBES: Oil Prices Go North, Pain at the Pump Follows

The fall, which has not been reflected on other stock markets around the world, has happened despite an announcement by the central bank of the United Arab Emirates that it would pump liquidity into Dubai's banking sector.

BBC: 'A debt-fuelled property binge'

That question may never be asked in a highly developed economy like the United States where increases in prices at the gas pump are felt most directly by consumers, but it is a question that is being asked frequently these days in China where food is such an important part of the budget for most.

FORBES: Pork Prices and Inflation

The sticker-shock at the pump is a rude reminder that even though energy independence for the United States is closer at hand than at any other time in the last fifty years, energy is still very much a global commodity.

FORBES: Pain at the Pump