mideast protests

With gas prices shooting ever higher, cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas and Miami have either allowed cab drivers to levy fuel surcharges or are considering them. But in New York, where the drivers of the nation's largest cab fleet are struggling to make ends meet, officials say a surcharge isn't even being considered.

Egypt's famed antiquities and tourism sites are reopening following the political unrest there. But heeding warnings from Washington, many American travelers are steering clear of the region for now -- disrupting the tourism industry in both the U.S. and Egypt.

Gold bugs love bad news, and civil war in Libya, Africa's third-largest oil producer, couldn't have come at a better time. After dropping a hundred bucks in January, February's upheavals have pushed gold back within striking distance of nominal all-time highs.

What might happen to the price of oil and how will this affect U.S. economic growth? Here are three possible scenarios.

Worried about the sharp shock political unrest is giving to crude oil prices, international officials said oil-consuming nations have emergency reserves they can use to stabilize markets in case the violence in Libya and the wider Middle East escalates and crimps production.

In the long run, the changes being demanded in the Mideast may prove to be a cornerstone of further global economic growth and political stability. More immediately, though, the uprisings are likely to create exactly the type of uncertainty that investors dread.