European motorists eyeing the bear market in crude oil are going to be disappointed at the pump. Brent, the benchmark crude oil, slumped 21 percent since May 6, meeting the common definition of a bear market. For the first time in at least a decade, the milestone has yet to be accompanied by a slide in retail gasoline. In fact, prices rose slightly over the same period, European Commission data show. Energy analysts are pinning the blame on a stronger U.S. economy, saying it’s pulling more cargoes of the fuel than normal across the Atlantic in America’s driving season. European prices normally fall when crude oil has big declines, as this graphic shows. “The lower oil price has created a lot of anger and frustration amongst drivers as they are not seeing those downward moves reciprocated at the pumps,” Luke Bosdet, spokesman for the AA, the U.K.’s biggest motoring […]