Commodity Trends

The Future of U.S. Energy Independence

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Historically, access to energy has been of strategic importance as countries that are not energy independent are subject to embargos, shortages, and political blackmail. In years past, wars were fought over land that produced oil and gas, but more recently we have seen battles like those in Ukraine where the battle was for the land that held pipelines transporting the gas. So, one reason that being energy independent is so important is that it makes your country more secure. But it also makes it less susceptible to price increases.

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Cutting Edge

The Death Of U.S. Shale Has Been Greatly Exaggerated

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The current year marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. shale boom, a period in which fracking technology across such states as Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota, and Wyoming helped establish the nation as a top oil and gas producer. Unfortunately, high costs of production compared with conventional drilling has led to the sector consistently printing red ink and resulted in considerable destruction of shareholder value. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent oil price crash has led to investors souring on the industry further, credit becoming harder to come by, and a cross-section of Wall Street calling the end to the sector.

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Speed and Affordability: Cost of Internet Access Over Time

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One of the fastest-changing areas of technology is internet access with “5G” currently being implemented across the country.   Not only are Speeds going up, usage is going up, and with the current pandemic, it has become a lifeline for many. Interestingly, although speeds are continuously increasing, costs are not. Overall, the trend is towards the decline, allowing people to get more for their money. While you can try to determine the way things are moving forward, the equation is likely far more complex than this and is liable to change with infrastructure or political events. Please continue reading for more insights and in-depth examination of the issue:

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Oil Majors That Bet Big On Renewables

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Big Oil has frequently been chided for merely trying to burnish its green credentials, and so far, it has done little to convince us that it is truly moving forward to greenness. Despite the much-vaunted megatrend involving the global electrification drive and shift to renewable energy, the most ambitious pledges by Big Oil to pursue net-zero agendas remain weak at best.

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World Oil Production

Oil Demand Impacts Foreign Exchange Rates

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To say that the past year has been an extraordinary period for the global oil market would be an understatement. Entering into 2020, the commodity was still feeling the impact of the late 2019 drone attack on a Saudi Aramco oil processing facility. In early 2020, oil prices were highly volatile in the aftermath of the killing of Iran’s Qasem Soleimani.

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Energy Sector SPDR Fund

Bulls Beware: A Dark Cloud Is Forming Over Oil Markets

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Bullish sentiment appears to have returned to the stock markets with a vengeance. In a historic rally that has taken even die-hard bulls by surprise, the S&P 500 has managed to claw back all of its 2020 losses, taking just 53 sessions for the index to fully restore the nearly $10T in value it shed in an epic bear market. The oil markets have been nearly as impressive.

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Oil Rig

Oil Goes from Zero to $35 in a Month, But is it Enough?

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Within a month, the U.S. oil benchmark West Texas Intermediate recorded two first-of-a-kind events. First, it fell below zero on April 20. Then, it soared up so quickly it is about to book its best month ever. Still, many analysts and other observers remain wary of any premature optimism. Bankruptcies in the U.S. shale patch are rising. Seventeen companies have already filed for Chapter 11 protection since the start of the year, the FT reported. Still, many more bankruptcies are on the way, with Rystad Energy estimating that as many as 73 shale drillers could be forced into bankruptcy by the end of the year.

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