Even Dubai is Feeling the Pinch

"Dubai property prices have rocketed in the few years since the United Arab Emirates opened its market to foreigners. However, sky-high oil prices that have long fed the region's economic boom are falling back. Borrowing costs have soared amid a regional credit crunch. The government has been investigating a handful of the city-state's top real-estate and lending firms. And international and domestic investors are taking money out of the region's once-frothy stock markets.

Still, exhibitors inside the show's sprawling exhibition halls presented an optimistic picture."