All in all, I would agree that "market dynamics" does have its benefits, even in these situations. Actually, we never really point the finger at the panic buying (or put another way, everyone suddenly buying something at the same time that is not needed), which is really the root of the issue with KI here. We don't need KI over here right now, so I wish people would refrain from depleting the supply that could be sent to Japan instead.

That said, I haven't heard of any cases of price gouging in the disaster area, although I have seen reports of merchants giving things away or at a discount. According to market theory, that's the wrong thing to do to ensure future supplies, but as a human being, isn't that what we all wished would happen, at least in the short term?