Simmering tensions in the Middle East kept oil prices elevated and gold at record levels, creating an extremely nervous and volatile backdrop for equities amid concerns about the potential for rampant energy costs to derail the global recovery.
Interactive map: Middle East unrest
Explore the common factors behind the countries affected by the protests
Fighting between rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces in eastern Libya fuelled fears that the country could descend into a long civil war, heightening worries about prolonged supply disruptions. Nagging concerns that civil unrest could spread further across the region added to the upward pressure on crude prices.
