BREAKDOWN: Oil 101... How Easy Money Enabled the Shale Revolution, Feat. Tracy Shuchart

An oil and commodities expert breaks down how the shale revolution reshaped global energy power and why oil went below $0 earlier this year.

This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Ciphertrace.

Today on the Brief:

• PayPal and Venmo reportedly adding crypto buying and selling
• Trump executive order temporarily suspends H1-B visa program
• Continued growth in bitcoin derivatives

Our main conversation:

Tracy Shuchart is an oil- and commodities-focused trader in the private equity space known for her wide-ranging insights on financial Twitter (FinTwit).

In this conversation, she and NLW discuss:

• Why the shale revolution of the last 10 years shifted the power balance in global energy among the United States, Russia and Saudi Arabia
• How easy money in the wake of the Great Financial Crisis enabled the shale revolution as much as new technology
• Why after the 2014-2016 oil crash it was inexperienced private equity firms that picked up where banks left off with shale
• How a growing focus on dividends and cutting costs was creating structural problems for shale even before the COVID-19 crisis
• How COVID-19 coincided with a contentious negotiation between Saudi Arabia and Russia that ultimately sent prices to less than $0

Find our guest online:

Twitter: @chigrl

On the web: chigrl.com