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The home furnishings sector in Davie County is expanding with a Lithuanian wooden-furniture manufacturer committing Tuesday to create 250 jobs within four years as part of a proposed $70 million capital investment. SBA Group, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, plans to lease for its SBA Home division a 500,000-square-foot plant at 187 Gildan Drive in the Davie Industrial Center that has a 324,000-square-foot Hayward Industries distribution center as a neighbor. SBA debuted in 1990 and has four home furnishings plants in its home country with about 3,000 employees overall. It has been a major supplier to Swedish retailer Ikea since 1996, and exports home furnishings products to 50 countries. The company said the Mocksville plant will serve as an "innovative production facility to manufacture and distribute trendy furniture products to meet the demand of its U.S. customer bases." People are also reading... “With its wide talent pool, excellent infrastructure and logistics, support from the state, combined with SBA Home’s modern manufacturing expertise and humancentric organizational culture, we are confident this venture will create high-quality jobs and give positive impact to the region," said Jurgita Radzevičė, SBA Home's chief executive. "We believe it further bolsters partnership between Lithuania and the United States, paving the way for innovation and shared success.” Terry Bralley, president of Davie Economic Development Commission, credited the foresight of constructing speculative buildings in the center for landing SBA. "Without the speculative building and private investors, we would have never had a look at this project," Bralley said. "This project fits nicely because it's highly automated with incredible technology, and it manufactures product for the largest furniture retailers in the world." The job positions will include manufacturing and warehousing positions, as well as administrative and managerial roles. Bralley said SBA will create 200 jobs and spend $37.6 million on capital investment in phase 1, while phase 2 will include the remaining 50 jobs and $13.6 million capital investments. The jobs will pay an average annual wage of $53,470, according to N.C. Commerce Department. Home furnishings is one of six product groups for SBA that also includes apparel, investment management, modular construction and real estate. Among SBA's more than 800-product line are armchairs, cabinets, sofas and wood veneer-covered plywood furniture. SBA disclosed in November plans to open a U.S. plant by October 2025 , saying "a team of executives and professionals from SBA Home has been assembled to execute the project." At that time, the manufacturer choosing between three East Coast options that included Cherokee County, S.C. Bralley said Davie and state Commerce officials had negotiated with SBA for about a year on the project. Radzevičė described the planned investment in a November blog posting "as a significant moment not only for SBA Group, but also for the entire Lithuanian manufacturing business." "We have already purchased the equipment shipped in 300 containers from Germany to the USA. It will be a highly robotized factory with more than 200 employees." According to its website, SBA currently utilizes 62 manufacturing robots. Radzevičė said the ideal U.S. plant site would be close to "raw material suppliers, the best logistical location, the most promising labor market and the most favorable attitude towards investors." "A team of around 30 professionals from Lithuania will work on the project in the U.S." Bralley said that landing SBA could have economic benefits beyond just the plant for Davie and the Triad. "When you are dealing with an international company, if they have a positive experience in your community, they tend to tell their friends." Bralley said. SBA has been made eligible for up to $1.42 million in performance-based economic incentives from state's Job Development Grant program. Bralley said the town of Mocksville and Davie Board of Commissioners plan to provide a combined $776,734 in performance-based incentives. “The company will join the ranks of the region’s finest furniture makers that enjoy a strong supply chain and great quality of life when they invest in our community,” said N.C. Sen. Steve Jarvis, R-Davie. SBA will join Ashley Furniture Industries LLC, the nation's largest home furnishings manufacturer and retailer, with a Davie plant. Ashley has close to 1,000 full-time employees for its 3.8 million-square-foot upholstery production and distribution operation in Advance. Ashley had a workforce peak of about 1,600 when it also made wooden furniture at the plant that has been shifted to other plants. rcraver@wsjournal.com 336-727-7376 @rcraverWSJ Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States should proceed cautiously as officials consider new natural gas export terminals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday, warning that “unfettered exports" of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, could raise wholesale domestic prices by more than 30% and increase planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Granholm's statement came as the Energy Department released a long-awaited study on the environmental and economic impacts of natural gas exports , which have grown exponentially in the past decade. The analysis found that U.S. LNG shipments drive up domestic prices and frequently displace renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. Increased LNG exports also would lead to higher global greenhouse gas emissions, even with use of technology such as equipment to capture and store carbon emissions, the report said. “Today’s publication reinforces that a business-as-usual approach (to LNG exports) is neither sustainable nor advisable,'' Granholm said. The Energy Department report comes after the Biden administration paused approvals of new LNG projects in January to study the effects LNG exports have on the planet. Natural gas emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when burned, leaked or released. LNG is especially energy intensive, since the gas must be retrieved through underground drilling, then piped to export terminals along the East and Gulf coasts. The gas is then “superchilled” into a liquid that is taken by tanker ships to import terminals in Europe and Asia, where it is then reheated into gas and distributed for business and family use. The oil and gas industry, along with Republican allies in Congress, have decried the LNG pause as unnecessary and counter-productive, and President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to end the pause on his first day in office . The pause is on hold under a federal court order , but few new terminals have been approved in the past year. The Energy Department said last week it will not decide on two major LNG export projects in Louisiana until the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission completes environmental reviews of each project. The American Gas Association called the Biden administration's pause a mistake that has resulted in uncertainty for the global market, investors and America’s allies around the world. “This report is a clear and inexplicable attempt to justify their grave policy error," said AGA president and CEO Karen Harbert. “America’s allies are suffering from the weaponization of natural gas and energy deprivation, and any limitations on supplying life essential energy is absolutely wrong-headed." Harbert said the industry group looks forward to working with the Trump administration “to rectify the glaring issues with this study during the public comment period,” which lasts until mid-February. Charlie Riedl, executive director of the Center for LNG, a pro-industry group, said Republican and Democratic administrations, as well as independent researchers, “have continually found that U.S. LNG exports provide economic, national security and climate benefits and serve the public interest." U.S. LNG “remains a vital tool for countries looking to displace dirtier fuels" such as coal and reduce their emissions, Riedl said, adding that U.S. LNG exports play a key role in meeting growing global demand for natural gas. U.S. gas shipments to Europe and Asia have soared since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The LNG pause, announced by President Joe Biden as the 2024 election year began, aligned the Democratic administration with environmentalists who fear the huge increase in LNG exports in recent years is locking in potentially catastrophic planet-warming emissions at a time when Biden has pledged to cut U.S. climate pollution in half by 2030 . “While MAGA Republicans willfully deny the urgency of the climate crisis, condemning the American people to a dangerous future, my administration will not be complacent,′′ Biden said in announcing the pause. His actions “heed the calls of young people and frontline communities who are using their voices to demand" climate action, Biden added. The White House declined to comment on the Energy Department study, referring questions to the agency.While Red Sox fans await the culmination of the club’s pursuit of Juan Soto, the possibility looms that Boston could look to part ways with another left-handed slugger in a major trade this winter. According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox “have been open” to using first baseman Triston Casas as a “trade chip for pitching help” so far this offseason and have offered him to at least one American League team in talks for a starter. That news is not necessarily surprising as the Red Sox try to balance their organization by adding pitching talent by subtracting from their glut of talented position players but is newsworthy in that Casas is not considered off-limits after chief baseball officer Craig Breslow downplayed the possibility of a trade at last month’s GM Meetings. “I’m not sure where that’s coming from,” Breslow said on Nov. 5. “Casas is a guy that we think has 40-home run potential. He’s young and also has a great strike zone discipline and controls an at-bat. We’re excited he’s on our team.” Speier described the potential of a Casas deal as “fairly limited” after a season in which he was limited to 63 games by a rib cage injury. Still, it’s clear the Red Sox are open to listening on Casas, outfielder Wilyer Abreu and minor league prospects, though deals including Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell appear unlikely. The trade market for starting pitchers has been slow so far this offseason, in large part because top free agent arms Max Fried and Corbin Burnes are still available (though Blake Snell did sign with the Dodgers). Chicago’s Garrett Crochet is of interest to Boston as are Seattle’s series of good starters (with Bryan Woo, Luis Castillo and Bryce Miller available if Jerry Dipoto chooses to listen). Arizona’s Zac Gallen could be a pie-in-the-sky option if the Diamondbacks consider dealing him and the Marlins have intriguing arms like Sandy Alcantara, Jesús Luzardo and Edward Cabrera. Crochet is the most clear trade candidate of all while it’s somewhat unclear how the rest of the market will shake out. As MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported last week, there has been some talk among Red Sox decision-makers about moving Rafael Devers off third base, so he could theoretically move to first base if Casas is indeed moved. That would open up the hot corner for the addition of someone like free agent Alex Bregman or St. Louis’ Nolan Arenado, who is a trade candidate. One player who won’t be joining Boston’s infield is Willy Adames, who agreed to a seven-year, $182 million deal with the Giants on Saturday. But the possibility of a creative domino effect remains. Speaking to the Globe at an event at Polar Park in Worcester, Mass., on Saturday night, Casas acknowledged he understood that the possibility of a trade exists. “I haven’t given it much thought at all. I’m getting ready to take my at-bat to whatever state, city it may be in,” Casas told Speier. “Hopefully it’s for the Boston Red Sox, but if not, I feel like I can bring value to any team that would need a first baseman. I want to stay in Boston for a really long time. ... I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, but wherever it may be, I’ll fit in just fine.” Tyler O’Neill, who crushed a team-leading 31 home runs for the Red Sox in 2024, has signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Orioles, New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported Saturday evening. The deal is reportedly for three years and $49.5 million and includes an opt-out after one year. O’Neill slugged .511 with an .847 OPS in 113 games. The Red Sox and O’Neill had some mutual interest. Instead, he heads to an AL East rival and the Red Sox have to replace his right-handed production via trade or free agency.

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Alyssa Naeher ended her national team career with one last win. The stalwart goalkeeper made two critical saves in her final match for the United States, and the Americans beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday. “I definitely wasn’t thinking about it during the game, just wanted to win the game and do what I could to come away with the ‘W’ for us to close out the year,” Naeher said. Lynn Williams scored the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute for the U.S., which won its fifth Olympic gold medal in France this summer and wrapped up the year on a 20-game unbeaten streak. The Americans were coming off a scoreless draw with England on Saturday at Wembley Stadium. Naeher announced two weeks ago that the European exhibitions would be her final matches. The 36-year-old goalkeeper played in 115 games for the U.S., with 111 starts, 89 wins and 69 shutouts. Naeher is the only U.S. keeper with shutouts in both a World Cup and an Olympic final. She was in goal when the United States defeated the Netherlands 2-0 in the 2019 Women's World Cup final . “I feel like in my heart I would love to keep going. In my head, in my body and mind, I feel like it’s the right time. And I think it’s the right time with this team as well as it builds towards the future and towards 2027,” Naeher said. “This environment, this team, is an incredible team to be a part of, but it’s also really hard and really challenging in a lot of ways as well. “I feel like I’ve given everything I have to give for this team and that’s why I feel at peace with that.” The Netherlands took the lead on center back Veerle Buurman's header off a corner kick in the 15th minute. Naeher prevented a second goal when she punched away Dominique Janssen's shot in the 38th. The United States drew even at the end of the first half on an own goal that deflected off Buurman and past Dutch goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar. Naeher slid to stop Danielle van de Donk's shot in the 69th minute before Williams, a second-half substitute, scored her fourth goal of the year and 21st of her career. “I wouldn’t say that this was our prettiest game of soccer ever. And sometimes that’s how games go. You can talk about tactics, you can talk about formations, you talk about everything, but the biggest thing was matching their intensity. Getting to the second ball, getting to the first ball. That was the shift that needed to happen,” Williams said about the team's second-half mindset. Naeher finished with six saves. She is not quite finished with soccer yet: She will continue playing next season for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League. “She’s been consistent again and again. Even when she’s been questioned at times in her career, she’s always found the answer,” U.S. coach Emma Hayes said. “Not only has she been a great player in this program, but let me tell you, she’s so loved by everyone, players and staff alike. She is the best teammate you could ask for and that just speaks volumes to the person that she is.” Lily Yohannes came in as a substitute in the second half. Yohannes, who has dual citizenship, opted to play for the United States over the Netherlands last month. She plays professionally for the Dutch club Ajax. The U.S. finished the year without the trio of Mallory Swanson, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Smith, who were left off the roster for the final two matches to rest and heal nagging injuries. The U.S. is unbeaten in 15 matches under Hayes, who took over in May. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerHere’s the truth behind 6 of the most widely circulated mystery drone videosPHILADELPHIA — Flyers center Scott Laughton felt a huge sense of pride when his second goal of the game gave him 100 in his career. Laughton had another major milestone in sight — he added two empty-net goals to tie Philadelphia's team record of four goals in a game in a 4-1 victory over Detroit on Thursday night. “Kind of get my game going, hopefully,” Laughton said. “It was an awesome night.” After scoring just once in his previous 25 games, Laughton had his second career hat trick and became the first Flyers player to score four goals since John LeClair in 2002. He's the 10th Flyers player to score four goals in a game and it's the 17th time a player scored four goals. “For Scotty Laughton, you always hope good things happen for him,” coach John Tortorella said. “He works so hard. He's the reason we won the game.” Laughton was greeted by a standing ovation by his teammates inside the locker room who then mobbed him in celebration. They then presented him with a pro wrestling championship belt stamped with the Flyers logo. Philadelphia Flyers' Scott Laughton shoots the puck for a goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum The 30-year-old Laughton, who made his NHL debut with the Flyers in January 2013, scored the first two goals the hard way. He opened the scoring in the second period with a breakaway goal on a slap shot from the left circle. He added a short-handed goal in the third, tipping a pass from Travis Konecny as he crashed into the crease. Laughton has been a steady presence for the Flyers for more than a decade but never scored more than 18 goals in a season. He had just three goals this season for a Flyers team that seems poised to finally emerge from a lengthy rebuild and compete for their first playoff berth since 2020. His first trick was Feb. 7, 2021 against Washington. Philadelphia Flyers' Scott Laughton, left, scores a goal against Detroit Red Wings' Cam Talbot, center, during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in Philadelphia. Credit: AP/Matt Slocum “I think 100 goals, you don’t look at it really, but I’ve been in the league for a long time and it’s hard to score goals in this league,” Laughton said. “To score 100, it’s pretty cool to me, pretty special. I know it’s not much compared to some guys, but it feels pretty cool to get that.” His last two goals came on the empty-netters over the final 70 seconds of the game. “It’s pretty cool,” Laughton said. “Two empty-netters but I know they all count.”

USWNT beats Netherlands 2-1 in goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's final matchJohn Dumelo, the parliamentary candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Ayawaso West-Wuogon, has lodged an official complaint against his opponent, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, following allegations that she distributed food to voters at a polling station during the special voting on December 2, 2024. Dumelo’s complaint, filed at the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP), comes after viral videos surfaced on social media showing Alhassan giving out food to voters in a queue at a polling station. The NDC candidate shared these videos as evidence in his complaint, accusing Alhassan of attempting to unlawfully influence voters. In a statement posted on X, Dumelo noted that he had also provided material evidence of plans by Alhassan to expand such practices during the main election on December 7, 2024. He called for an investigation and swift action from the OSP to prevent further unlawful activities and ensure a fair election. “My team also gave material information on plots by Ms. Lydia Seyram Alhassan to unlawfully influence voters on a larger scale come Saturday, December 7, 2024, when the main election will be held,” Dumelo’s statement read. “We expect the OSP to take immediate and decisive steps to not only prevent Ms. Lydia Seyram Alhassan from repeating the unlawful behaviour, but also to bring her and all her accomplices to book.” Dumelo emphasized the importance of the OSP’s response, stating that how the complaint is handled leading up to the election would influence the quality of the December 7 vote. In response to the allegations, Lydia Seyram Alhassan, the incumbent MP for Ayawaso West-Wuogon, denied any involvement in the alleged incident. In an interview with Accra-based JoyNews, she claimed she was unaware of any such activity. “I wasn’t here. I don’t know if you saw me here. I’ve been here since... I came here before 6 am, and I left here a few minutes ago, I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” she stated.Voice that brought radio legend to tears

In a market display of resilience, both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq notched record highs on Tuesday, fueled by robust performances in tech-related shares. Investors remain vigilant as they anticipate key jobs data to guide further actions. While the tech, communication, and consumer discretionary sectors emerged as bright spots, the Dow slipped slightly, mirroring a cautious market tone. Investors are particularly focused on the U.S. monthly employment report due this Friday, alongside other pivotal data releases. Federal Reserve policymakers have offered reassuring signals about inflation trends and the job market, indicating no immediate cuts in interest rates. Meanwhile, Amazon has announced new AI platforms, bolstering its shares by 1.3%. Salesforce also experienced a post-bell stock surge following impressive quarterly results. (With inputs from agencies.)Kunlavut eyes SF spot after tough loss

Lewandowski joins Ronaldo and Messi in Champions League 100-goal club. Haaland nets 2 but City draws

Nordstrom tops Wall Street’s earnings expectations, as shoppers buy more clothes and shoes

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. ( NYSE: OPTT ) Q2 2025 Earnings Call Transcript December 17, 2024 9:00 AM ET Company Participants Bob Powers - SVP and CFO Philipp Stratmann - President and CEO Conference Call Participants Shawn Severson - Water Tower Research Jeff Grampp - Alliance Global Partners Brian Gordon - Water Tower Research Operator Good morning, and welcome to the Ocean Power Technologies Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025 Earnings Conference Call. A webcast of this call is also available and can be accessed via a link on the company's website at www.oceanpowertechnologies.com. This conference call is being recorded and will be available for replay shortly after its completion. On the call today are Dr. Philipp Stratmann, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Bob Powers, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Following prepared remarks, there will be a question-and-answer session. I'm now pleased to introduce Bob Powers. Bob Powers Thank you, and good morning. After the market closed yesterday, we issued our earnings press release and filed our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the period ended October 31, 2024. Our public filings are available on the SEC website and within the Investor Relations section of the OPT website. During this call, we will make forward-looking statements that are within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may include financial projections or other statements of the company's plans, objectives, expectations or intentions. These statements are based on assumptions made by management regarding future circumstances over which the company may have little or no control and involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Additional information about these risks and uncertainties can be found in the company's Form 10-K and subsequent filings withNoneSTEM Toys Market to grow by USD 8.09 Billion (2024-2028), driven by emphasis on STEM education; Report on AI's impact on market trends - Technavio

December 17, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread by Chalmers University of Technology Sebastian Persson uses mathematical models as a complement to experiments to study biological systems in his doctoral thesis . He has also developed software to more efficiently work with dynamic models. Cell biological systems are complex, with many different components influencing their behavior. To understand from experiments alone how these systems are regulated is hard, but with the help of mathematical tools it is possible to build models to analyze how cell systems work. Persson has collaborated with experimentalists in Germany and together they have explored how cellular components regulate their size and have come up with a good description that matches experimental data . "Size regulation of cellular components occurs in most cells, and if this process does not work as planned, the risk of several diseases and premature aging increases. We wanted to understand the different strategies that the cells use to size-regulate cell structures, and modeling was needed since it is so difficult to reason about these processes. The final aim is that medicines should be able to be developed based on knowledge about size regulation." New software to handle different kinds of models To be able to simulate biological dynamic models, computers are needed. Since every model built is a hypothesis and the initial hypotheses are usually wrong, there is a need to work with and simulate many different models. So, the faster you can validate if a model works, the faster you can conduct your research. To make it easier to work with dynamic models, Sebastian has developed new software. The criteria were that it should be fast, and that it should be flexible. Flexibility is important to be able to explore new research areas. For example, either mechanistic or data-driven models are used today, and both have their advantages and disadvantages. The idea with Persson's software is that it should be possible to combine both kinds of models in the same system, to compensate for the shortcomings with each approach. The software PEtab.jl and SBMLImporter.jl have been published as open source since the spring of 2023 and are being used more and more, both by academia and industry, and are continuously being built upon. Research—frustrating and satisfying Persson has always liked mathematics but wanted to see an application for it and therefore studied a civil engineering program with a focus on biotechnology. During his bachelor's degree he realized that experiments were not his thing and did his bachelor's thesis in the systems biology group of Marija Cvijovic. There, he later started his doctoral position the week after he defended his master's thesis. Having both mathematics and biology with him has been very useful in being able to communicate with experimentalists, and in understanding the literature for the systems that he studies. "Overall, it has been a lot of fun doing a doctorate, but also very exhausting. School is so well defined, research something else entirely and when I started, I did not think much about how tricky it can be when there are no ready answers. You have to fail many times to realize what does not work, and that can be frustrating, but also very satisfying when it works, and you make new discoveries." Now, a well-needed break awaits before Persson moves to London in March for a four-year postdoctoral position at The Francis Crick Institute, a biomedical research center. There, he will explore hybrid models of precisely mechanistic and data-driven models to study the cell cycle and try to understand how it is regulated by its surrounding cellular environment. It is still fundamental systems biology research, with the aim that it will lead to better medical treatments in the future. More information: Enabling mechanistic understanding of cellular dynamics through mathematical modelling and development of efficient methods. gupea.ub.gu.se/handle/2077/83730 Provided by Chalmers University of TechnologyBitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of almost daily all-time highs since the U.S. presidential election. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 and investors do not appear to be fazed by gravity or any cautionary tales of the cryptocurrencies history of volatility. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more "crypto-friendly" than the outgoing Biden administration. As of 11:02 a.m. ET, bitcoin traded at $96,747 after rising as high as $98,349 according to CoinDesk. Yet cryptocurrency markets remain a wild place and what comes next is impossible to know. And while some are bullish, other experts are warning of investment risks. Here's what you need to know. Cryptocurrency has been around for a while now but have come under the spotlight in recent years. In basic terms, cryptocurrency is digital money. This kind of currency is designed to work through an online network without a central authority — meaning it's typically not backed by any government or banking institution — and transactions get recorded with technology called a blockchain. Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, although other assets like Ethereum, Tether and Dogecoin have gained popularity over the years. Some investors see cryptocurrency as a "digital alternative" to traditional money — but it can be very volatile, with its price reliant on larger market conditions. Trump's election win boosts crypto A lot of the recent action has to do with the outcome of the U.S. election . President-elect Donald Trump, who was once critical of digital currencies, pledged during his campaign against Vice President Kamala Harris to make the U.S. the "crypto capital of the planet" and to create a bitcoin "strategic reserve." His campaign accepted donations in cryptocurrency and he courted fans at a bitcoin conference in July. He also launched World Liberty Financial, a new venture with family members to trade cryptocurrencies. Crypto industry players welcomed Trump's victory, in hopes that he would be able to push through legislative and regulatory changes that they've long lobbied for. Trump also had promised that, if elected, he would remove the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government's crackdown on the crypto industry and repeatedly called for more oversight. Spot bitcoin ETFs Digital assets like bitcoin had posted notable gains in the months ahead of the election, mostly due to the early success of a new way to invest in the asset: spot bitcoin ETFs, which were approved by U.S. regulators in January. A spot bitcoin ETF allows investors to gain direct exposure to bitcoin without holding it. Unlike regular bitcoin ETFs, in which bitcoin futures contracts are the underlying asset, bitcoins are the underlying asset of a spot bitcoin ETF. Each spot bitcoin ETF is managed by a firm that issues shares of its own bitcoin holdings purchased through other holders or through an authorized cryptocurrency exchange . The shares are listed on a traditional stock exchange. Inflows into spot ETFs, "have been the dominant driver of Bitcoin returns from some time, and we expect this relationship to continue in the near-term," Citi analysts David Glass and Alex Saunders wrote in a research note two weeks ago. They added that spot crypto ETFs saw some of their largest inflows on record in the days following the election. Bitcoin volatility History shows you can lose money in crypto as quickly as you've made it. Long-term price behavior relies on larger market conditions. Trading continues at all hours, every day. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, bitcoin stood at just over $5,000. Its price climbed to nearly $69,000 by November 2021, in a time marked by high demand for technology assets. Bitcoin later crashed during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes aimed at curbing inflation. The collapse of FTX in late 2022 significantly undermined confidence in crypto overall and bitcoin fell below $17,000. Investors began returning in large numbers as inflation started to cool — and gains skyrocketed on the anticipation and then early success of spot ETFs. Experts still stress caution, especially for small-pocketed investors. How bitcoin mining works Assets like bitcoin are produced through a process called "mining," which consumes a lot of energy. And operations relying on pollutive sources have drawn particular concern over the years. Recent research published by the United Nations University and Earth's Future journal found that the carbon footprint of 2020-2021 bitcoin mining across 76 nations was equivalent to the emissions from burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas-fired power plants. Coal satisfied the bulk of bitcoin's electricity demands (45%), followed by natural gas (21%) and hydropower (16%). Cryptocurrency is making lots of noise, literally Environmental impacts of bitcoin mining boil largely down to the energy source used. Industry analysts have maintained that clean energy has increased in use in recent years, coinciding with rising calls for climate protections. Technology Elections Cryptocurrency Donald Trump Politics BitcoinS.Korea political upheaval shows global democracy's fragility - and resilience