2017 - the year we lost 'God' but gained OilCoin

"GOD" didn't die in 2017, but he did throw his hands up.

Andy Hall, the oil trader blessed with that nickname, caused a stir this summer by closing down his main hedge fund after long arguing for oil prices to rally and reportedly suffering big losses. He didn't declare oil was dead; indeed, he warned that his withdrawal could be a contrarian signal (which turned out to be prescient). His capitulation was a warning of a different kind. And while it may be mere coincidence, the appearance of something called OilCoin four months after God bowed out is a fitting coda.

In his letter to investors, he said a combination of algorithmic trading and uncertainty about shale-oil output had upended his approach based on fundamentals around supply and demand. Shale was screwing up the supply model and, in the absence of such an anchor, prices swung around on a heady mix of sentiment, positioning and momentum.