When supply outstrips demand, market prices may drop well below their historical averages. If the drop in prices is expected to be temporary, these low market prices are sometimes called"distress prices." Deciding whether a current market price is a distress price whether a is often difficult. Prior to the worldwide spike in commodity prices in the 2006-2008 period, the market prices of several mineral and agricultural commodities, including nickel, uranium, and wheat, stayed for many years at what people initially believed were temporary distress levels!