COVID-19 caused substantial disruption in the oil industry and
had a negative impact on WTI prices and the receipt of Royalty Payments by the Trust.
In December 2019, a novel strain of
coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), surfaced in Wuhan, China, and has since spread to other countries, including the United
States. In March 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the disease caused by the virusCOVID-19as a pandemic. The pandemic resulted in governments around the world implementing
stringent measures to help control the spread of the virus, including quarantines, shelter in place and stay at home orders, travel restrictions, business curtailments and other measures. While governments and central banks
in several parts of the world have enacted fiscal and monetary stimulus measures to counteract the impact of COVID-19, the pandemic resulted in significant economic contraction. The oil industry, in
particular, was substantially disrupted, both domestically and internationally, by the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant changes in energy fuel supply and demand. Although WTI prices have
recovered significantly, we cannot predict whether the COVID pandemic will continue to have a material adverse effect on WTI prices in the future.
High rates of inflation as measured by the consumer price index will increase the Cost Adjustment Factor and decrease amounts available for Royalty
Payments.
The Per Barrel Royalty is the WTI Price for any particular day, less the sum of (i) Chargeable Costs multiplied by
the Cost Adjustment Factor and (ii) Production Taxes. The Cost Adjustment Factor is a ratio that references the Consumer Price Index. The rate of inflation in the United States has increased sharply over the last two years, as reflected in
increases in the Consumer Price Index. To the extent that the Consumer Price Index continues to rise, the Cost Adjustment Factor will also increase, which would decrease the future Per Barrel Royalty, negatively affecting the amount available, if
any, for distribution to Unit holders.
Risks Related to WTI Price
Crude oil prices can be highly volatile as a result of many factors that are outside of the control of the Trust.
Future domestic and international events and conditions may produce wide swings in crude oil prices over relatively short periods of time.
Recent moves in crude oil prices have been affected by many factors. These include changes in demand due to variations in economic activity, increased efficiency, increased demand for other types of fuel, strong production growth, new supplies from
tight and shale resources, the continued effects of COVID-19 on the global economy, whether OPEC+ and other oil producing nations are willing to intervene to adjust oil prices, and the success of such
intervention, to stabilize oversupplied crude oil markets by cutting production or to take other measures in order to preserve or expand market share, shifts in inventory management strategies by international oil companies, conservation measures by
consumers, increasing effects of the oil futures market and other unpredictable political, geopolitical, psychological and economic factors, particularly Russias war with Ukraine and the international responses thereto, including the
imposition of sanctions, increased tensions between the U.S. and China and Iran, political unrest in Iran and developments with respect to the Iran nuclear deal, the collapse of Venezuelas oil industry, tensions between North Korea and South
Korea and the U.S., the strength or weakness of the U.S. dollar (the currency in which crude oil is quoted, with crude oil prices, like prices of other commodities priced in dollars, generally moving inversely to the value of the dollar), how the
policies of the U.S. administration may influence oil production and markets, whether the U.S. government releases any of its oil reserves, expectations for global economic growth, developments relating to the U.S.-China trade dispute, events
relating to the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, political turmoil in Libya threatening that countrys oil production and exports, ongoing tensions in other regions of the world and turmoil and volatility in global stock
markets.
The amount and value of reserves attributable to the Trust, the estimated life of the Trust, estimates of future net revenues and
estimates of the present value of future net revenues fluctuate based on the WTI Price, among other factors.
As discussed above
under THE ROYALTY INTEREST in Item 1, revenues to the Trust are calculated daily by HNS using the WTI price, Production Tax, and other variables as prescribed by the Conveyance
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