First, moments ago, the US DOE announced in a shocking announcement that it would proceed with the first draw down and sale of crude from the US strategic petroleum reserve, the first since June 2011, in what it said was a "test sale to check the operational capabilities of system infrastructure", but is really just a shot across the bow at Putin for whom high commodity prices are orders of magnitude more important than how the Russian stock market performs. ..do I hear a faint rattle in the background.?
Caution: Nervousness Alert: ZeroHedge
ZeroHedge gives Debka a run for the salt pic...