Blockchain Platform for Finalizing Crude Oil Deals Goes Live
Another industry has officially adopted blockchain to improve their operations. Reuters reported that “oil majors and trading firms can start finalizing crude oil deals on a live blockchain-based platform for the first time,” using its technology to mitigate longstanding issues.
Blockchain is adept at improving efficiency and transparency across use cases – its immutable ledger makes fraud almost impossible, and it has the capacity to take labor-intensive, paper-based processes and move them into the digital world. Those characteristics were enticing to several large energy companies, who saw potential in its ability to “drastically cut costs in an environment of razor-thin profit margins.”
With those goals in mind, nine of the world’s most prominent energy companies and banks – BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Equinor, Mercuria Energy Group, Koch Supply and Trading, Gunvor Group, ABN AMRO, ING, and Societe General – banded together to create VAKT, a platform functioning as “a digital ecosystem for physical post-trade processing.”
VAKT uses JPMorgan’s Quorum ledger to create “a single source of the truth for the trade lifecycle…[that] will eliminate reconciliation and paper-based processes, enhance efficiency and create new trade finance opportunities.” It runs side-by-side with its users’ internal systems – a feature that should increase its chances of achieving the “widespread adoption” so critical to success, says John Jimenez, VAKT’s interim CEO.
Reuters reports that VAKT will eventually link to Komgo, a new platform backed by many of VAKT’s founders “which will provide financing including digital letters of credit.” “VAKT is the logistical arm...once a deal is executed through our book of records, it gets pushed through VAKT. The next leg is the financing, and the link-up with Komgo gives access to several banks,” explained Eren Zekioglu, Chief Operations and IT Officer at Gunvor Group, who believes VAKT offers a “big step [forward] for the physical energy trading markets.”
BP, Equinor, Shell, Gunvor, and Mercuria are the platform’s initial users; it will launch on a larger scale in January 2019. VAKT eventually hopes “to extend the platform to all physically traded energy commodities” as it expands.
Industry figures are bullish on its prospects. Andrew Smith, Shell International’s EVP of Trading & Supply, called it “an exciting time” for companies as technology improves processes and operations. “Collaboration with our peers and some of the industry’s key players is the best way to combine market expertise and achieve the scale necessary to launch a digital transaction platform that could transform the way we all do business,” said Smith. Blockchain’s value and transformative powers are becoming harder for businesses to ignore.
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JPM's RSI Indicator recovers from overbought zone
The 10-day RSI Indicator for JPM moved out of overbought territory on July 08, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. Traders may want to look at selling the stock or buying put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 40 instances where the indicator moved out of the overbought zone. In of the 40 cases the stock moved lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of a move down at .
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In of 59 cases where JPM's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on July 15, 2025. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on JPM as a result. In of 83 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence Histogram (MACD) for JPM turned negative on July 09, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to turn lower in the coming weeks. Traders may want to sell the stock or buy put options. Tickeron's A.I.dvisor looked at 47 similar instances when the indicator turned negative. In of the 47 cases the stock turned lower in the days that followed. This puts the odds of success at .
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where JPM declined for three days, the price rose further in of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are .
JPM broke above its upper Bollinger Band on June 18, 2025. This could be a sign that the stock is set to drop as the stock moves back below the upper band and toward the middle band. You may want to consider selling the stock or exploring put options.
Bullish Trend Analysis
Following a 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where JPM advanced for three days, in of 351 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are .
The Aroon Indicator entered an Uptrend today. In of 317 cases where JPM Aroon's Indicator entered an Uptrend, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued Uptrend are .
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating low risk on high returns. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 30, placing this stock better than average.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating outstanding price growth. JPM’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Seasonality Score of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is fair valued in the industry. The Tickeron Seasonality score describes the variance of predictable price changes around the same period every calendar year. These changes can be tied to a specific month, quarter, holiday or vacation period, as well as a meteorological or growing season.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is significantly overvalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: JPM's P/B Ratio (1.907) is slightly higher than the industry average of (0.958). P/E Ratio (12.258) is within average values for comparable stocks, (8.937). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (3.448) is also within normal values, averaging (2.643). JPM has a moderately low Dividend Yield (0.021) as compared to the industry average of (0.053). P/S Ratio (3.779) is also within normal values, averaging (2.460).
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