Cryptoassets are traded on a global basis. Indeed, the markets are even more global and constant than markets in more conventional financial instruments, rivalled only perhaps by the FX markets in their reach.

Precipitous commodity price declines that began in mid-2014 continued to disrupt the oil and gas industry in 2015, outlasting the expectations of many analysts. By the end of 2015, prices for both Brent and WTI crude were fluctuating in the mid to upper $30s per barrel, down from highs of over $100 a barrel in mid-2014.