Here are three things people are talking about in the market this week.
Making paper without the paper
DocuSign stocks jumped up more than 30% today. The company offers cloud-based technology that makes signing contracts on a computer simpler and more user-friendly.
Read all about it at the Wall Street Journal.
What this means for you: Get used to signing with your finger. As processes become freer and freer of paper, DocuSign appears to be the new standard for signing and storing documents – which is great for the planet.
An oil giant falls
Exxon shares tumbled after a reported loss this quarter, but that’s not all. Just ten years ago, the energy sector made up 14% of the S&P 500. Today it’s barely 6% and Exxon is worth less than half as much of any one of those technology titans individually. What gives? It’s a supply issue for sure, since demand has increased by 15% over the same past ten years.
Read more about it on MarketWatch.
What this means for you: There’s a 50/50 chance you could see higher prices at the pump. There’s not really a precedent set for this kind of thing since it happens so infrequently. In other industries, when a giant falls like this it lures other, more successful, competitors to swoop in and try to buy. Time will tell.
NASA tech to keep your head warm
Olivia Maron, 11, has developed a hat that incorporates carbon fiber heat tape developed by NASA. So far, her good idea has helped her make it to the round of top 10 finalists in her age group for the extremely cool NASA Optimus Prime Spinoff Promotion and Research Challenge.
Read all the details on the Bangor Daily News.
What this means for you: As technology is adapted for consumers, we can expect a whole slew of cutting-edge products available to us at a retail level. But more importantly, programs like this NASA OPSPARC are igniting young minds and causing huge innovation. The next generation is onto something good, we just need to sit back and let them do their thing.