Where will the price of a barrel of oil go?  No one knows for sure.  Though we can see what steps market producers take to prepare for price movements. Pioneer Natural Resources closed nearly all hedges on oil production for the year.  What does this mean?  Hedges are used across industries and in this case act to protect holders from a decline in oil prices, effectively setting a floor [...]

Most have heard of cryptocurrency, especially Bitcoin.  Who pays for Bitcoin production?  You do.  Whether invested or not, electricity costs rise in areas where Bitcoin is produced.  It takes a HUGE amount of power to generate Bitcoin, which is referred to as mining Bitcoin. The process of creating Bitcoin consumes around 204 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, more power than used by countries like Sweden, Poland, Egypt, Thailand and about [...]

A New Year begins.  Think how people across the country and around the world celebrated, whether in quiet reflection, at home with family, or part of a larger city celebration like in Times Square, London, Paris or Dubai.  A common element of the celebrations may be taken for granted — light — artificially generated to light the night. On New Year’s Eve in 1879, Thomas Edison showcased the first [...]

For many, perhaps most, part of getting into the spirit of the season is singing along in a holiday tune.  Ever wonder how much those catchy songs earn in royalties? The hit song “All I Want for Christmas is You” reportedly earns Mariah Carey somewhere between $500,000 and $600,000 per year in royalties, which is split with her co-writer Walter Afanasieff.  The song just this month achieved RIAA diamond [...]