Energy & Commodities

Funding Is The Biggest Hurdle For Clean Energy

Today’s energy tech scene is on fire. The sector is in the midst of an absolute flurry of activity and innovation, with new and novel devices, approaches, and cutting-edge software, and hardware popping up more and more frequently. As the need for clean energy alternatives becomes more urgent, with global leading experts like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warning that the tipping point towards catastrophic environmental damage is right around the corner, clean energy researchers have responded in kind, publishing a litany of research pointing to a myriad of potential solutions for replacing fossil fuels. So why is the world still running on oil?

Let’s back up and take a look at some of the incredible energy innovations that have been unveiled in recent years. We’ll start with one that’s currently a hot topic, as it’s being touted as one of the most exciting prospects for clean power production, and that’s wave energy. This novel technique harnesses the ebb and flow of ocean tides in order to produce an extremely clean form of renewable energy. Interestingly enough, wave energy is in itself a form of solar energy and wind energy combined. As explained by World Finance, “when the Sun’s rays hit the Earth’s atmosphere, they heat it up. Around the globe, a difference in temperature naturally occurs, causing air to move from hotter regions to cooler ones, resulting in wind. As winds move across the seas, some of their kinetic energy is transferred to the water, creating waves.” Creating energy from harnessing the vertical movements of the ocean holds major potential for transforming our energy landscape for the better. As Sea Wave Energy CEO Adamos Zakheos told World Finance, “Wave energy, when harnessed correctly, can produce an abundance of environmentally friendly, cheap, renewable energy, significantly reducing the dependence on fossil fuels. We all see the effects of global warming; by exploiting blue energy, nations can take a responsible step towards securing a brighter future for their citizens – and their heirs.” CLICK for complete article

Why Aurora Cannabis, Canopy Growth, and HEXO Shares Are Jumping Today

Shares of Canopy Growth (NYSE:CGC) were jumping 15% higher as of 11:51 a.m. EST on Wednesday, with two of its peers also enjoying nice gains. Aurora Cannabis (NYSE:ACB) shares were also up 15%, while shares of HEXO (NYSE:HEXO) rose 8.8% after vaulting as much as 14.8% higher earlier in the day.

There were several reasons for the upward moves for these Canadian marijuana stocks. Bank of America analyst Christopher Carey upgraded Canopy Growth stock to a buy rating from a neutral rating. This upgrade appears to have had a halo effect to some extent on Canopy’s peers, especially Aurora and HEXO. In addition, Aurora announced on Tuesday that 94% of the holders of its convertible debentures that mature in March 2020 have elected to accept the company’s offer to convert the debt into stock.

It’s great that Aurora won’t have to scramble to raise 230 million Canadian dollars to pay off its debt within the next few months. It’s also encouraging that a top analyst is now more positive about Canopy Growth. But the underlying reason behind these three stocks’ jumps today is that some investors now think that the sell-off from the last several months that’s affected nearly every Canadian marijuana stock finally went too far….CLICK for complete article

The Canadian Real Estate Industry Just Downplayed The Biggest October In 10 Years

Canadian real estate markets are on fire. Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) data shows sales across the country jumped in October. The rise was actually so large, last month was the biggest for the industry in over a decade. This is the opposite of what the government wants to see ahead of rolling out new demand stimulus.

Canadian Real Estate Sales Rise Over 12%

The headline number used by the industry is seasonally adjusted, which downplayed growth. There was 42,970 seasonally adjusted sales in October, flat from a month before. Unadjusted however, sales reached 44,499 in October, up 12.9% from the same month last year. FYI seasonally adjusted numbers are compared using consecutive periods. Unadjusted numbers are compared on a year-over-year basis…CLICK for complete article

The Cannabis Culling Has Wall Street Disappointed

It’s now just over a year since Canada legalized recreational use of marijuana, and Wall Street is thoroughly disappointed.

What was supposed to have been a massive killing in one of the hottest new markets has been worse than lackluster.

A much clearer, if not dire picture emerges with the culling of cannabis stocks following Q3 earnings releases.

The disastrous results show a lineup of companies who haven’t been able to come up with a good strategy for growing, packaging and distributing. They haven’t been able to make legal weed more attractive than illegal weed. Perhaps it was a bit presumptuous to simply think that making it legal would bring all weed smokers to their doorsteps….CLICK for complete article

Billionaires Are Licking Their Chops Over Distressed U.S. Oil And Gas Assets

Like the vultures Elizabeth Warren claims they are, billionaires are now circling over the soon-to-be dead corpses of companies in the U.S. oil and gas patch, as they look to pick up assets on the cheap.

This comes at the same time that the volatility (read: decimation) of the oil and gas industry has scared off many other investors, according to Bloomberg.

Names like Sam Zell, Tom Barrack Jr., and Jerry Jones are all being tossed around as investors who are looking at distressed assets. Zell has teamed up with Barrack Jr. to look at oil assets in California, Colorado and Texas. Jones’ company, Comstock Resources, is looking to acquire natural gas assets from Chesapeake Energy.

Companies are eager to sell at cheap prices to try and get ahead of an upcoming credit crunch. 

The U.S. has become the world’s largest oil producer due to the shale revolution, but the investors behind that drive have little to show for their efforts. Many companies have plowed through their cash while providing poor returns, as independent oil and gas drillers are down more than 40% since 2014.

Easy money enabled the boom, and we have noted here on Zero Hedge over the last several years how poor resource allocation, crowded wells and overly optimistic estimates have caused a turn for the worse for U.S. oil and gas investors. Now, its time to face the consequences.

With oil prices still low, the number of active drilling rigs in the U.S. has declined and some of the biggest players in the industry have lowered their growth plans… CLICK for complete article

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