By <a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/author/yves-smith">Yves Smith</a> -<br><br><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-10-14/asian-stock-index-retreats-amid-rout-in-global-equities.html">Asian stock markets continued to fall today</a>, propelled at least in part by the adverse reaction to <a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/10/dropping-oil-prices-send-shockwaves-energy-sector.html">the Saudi announcement yesterday that they would let oil prices fall to $80 a barrel</a>. And further reports indicate that the Saudis intend to keep oil prices low enough to force a realignment of prices not just among various grades of crude, but also for intermediate and long-term substitutes.<br><br><a href="http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/10/saudis-deploy-the-oil-price-weapon-against-syria-iran-russia-and-the-us.html">READ MORE ON NAKED CAPITALISM</a>
