Commodity Trends

The Future of the Metaverse

Metaverse vs. Multiverse- What are They? And Where are They Leading?

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What Exactly is the Metaverse?

In October 2021, Facebook changed its parent company name to “Meta” to align the company with its ambitions to build the “metaverse.” NASDAQ.com believes that this rebranding will help boost the price of its stock in the same way that its name change to Alphabet boosted Google. By changing its name many believe that Facebook is signaling a change in corporate direction from a simple social media platform to a ‘meta-universe company’ i.e. one that combines virtual experiences with reality.

Is “metaverse” just the newest “Buzzword” or is “The Metaverse” like trying to explain the “The Internet” to someone in the 1970s? If you talk to CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg the metaverse is the future of the internet. But is this just hype or is it the fruition of the Sci-Fi dream of virtual reality and everything running via computers and holograms?

The term “metaverse” is said to have been coined back in 1992 by Sci-Fi author Neal Stephenson in his novel, “Snow Crash.” The idea was that virtual people aka. “Avatars” travel through imaginary worlds living out their dreams. In the book, Snow Crash Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., in real life but in the Metaverse, he’s a warrior prince. By 2009, the idea of “avatars” was firmly embedded in the culture, and the movie Avatar had literal humans traveling to distant planets where they would virtually inhabit alternative bodies.

What are the implications of a shift toward the metaverse?

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Adidas 1967

Why Wearable Brand Merchandise is On Trend

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If you went to any thrift store in the country in the year 2000, and you would have found branded merch galore. In the 1980s, companies realized the benefit of getting customers to prominently promote their products, so they started distributing branded merchandise in huge numbers. 

But back in the 1960’s it would have seemed crude or crass to be a walking billboard unless you were a professional athlete or NASCAR driver. In 1967 Adidas didn’t even have their famous logo on their shoes and new tracksuit and their name certainly wasn’t prominently displayed. At the time they were simply promoting the “3-stripes” design. Adidas introduced its Trefoil logo at the 1972 Olympics. But it wasn’t until much later that flashing the brand name on your clothes became fashionable. 

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Oil vs Gold Chart

Which is Over Priced? Oil or Gold?

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Was gold in a Bubble? Does the recent correction mean anything? With the value of the dollar constantly changing it is hard to tell what it all means. After all, can you imagine trying to build a house if every day when the workers arrived you gave them a different size ruler?

With everything from lumber to bitcoins skyrocketing in price (or the dollar devaluing), is there any way to tell the real value of something? How much is anything really worth? Is Oil overpriced? How about Gold? Is it overpriced? Is it cheap now that the price has come down? Looking at these commodities in the standard way, it’s often difficult to tell.

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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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