Diamondback (FANG) Risk Analysis

Our operations involve developing and utilizing the latest drilling and completion techniques. Risks that we face while drilling include, but are not limited to, the following: - spacing of wells to maximize economic return;- landing our well bore in the desired drilling zone;- staying in the desired drilling zone while drilling horizontally through the formation;- running our casing the entire length of the well bore; and - being able to run tools and other equipment consistently through the horizontal well bore. Risks that we face while completing our wells include, but are not limited to, being able to: - fracture stimulate the planned number of stages;- run tools the entire length of the well bore during completion operations;- successfully clean out the well bore after completion of the final fracture stimulation stage; and - prevent unintentional communication with other wells. Furthermore, certain of the new techniques we are adopting, such as infill drilling and multi-well pad drilling, may cause irregularities or interruptions in production due to, in the case of infill drilling, offset wells being shut in and, in the case of multi-well pad drilling, the time required to drill and complete multiple wells before any such wells begin producing. The results of our drilling in new or emerging formations are more uncertain initially than drilling results in areas that are more developed and have a longer history of established production. Newer or emerging formations and areas often have limited or no production history and consequently we are less able to predict future drilling results in these areas. Ultimately, the success of these drilling and completion techniques can only be evaluated as more wells are drilled and production profiles are established over a sufficiently long time period. If our drilling results are less than anticipated or we are unable to execute our drilling program because of capital constraints, lease expirations, access to gathering systems, and/or declines in natural gas and oil prices, the return on our investment in these areas may not be as attractive as we anticipate. Further, as a result of any of these developments we could incur material write-downs of our oil and natural gas properties and the value of our undeveloped acreage could decline in the future.

Drilling for oil and natural gas often involves unprofitable efforts, not only from dry wells but also from wells that are productive but do not produce sufficient oil or natural gas to return a profit at then realized prices after deducting drilling, operating and other costs. As of December 31, 2021, we have approximately 9,314 gross (6,311 net) identified economic potential horizontal drilling locations in multiple horizons on our acreage at an assumed price of approximately $50.00 per Bbl WTI. As of December 31, 2021, only 602 of our gross identified economic potential horizontal drilling locations were attributed to proved reserves. These drilling locations, including those without proved undeveloped reserves, represent a significant part of our growth strategy. Our ability to drill and develop these locations depends on a number of uncertainties, including the availability of capital, construction of infrastructure, unusual or unexpected geological formations, title problems, facility or equipment malfunctions, unexpected operational events, inclement weather, environmental and other regulatory requirements and approvals, oil and natural gas prices, costs, drilling results and the availability of water. Further, our identified potential drilling locations are in various stages of evaluation, ranging from locations that are ready to drill to locations that will require substantial additional interpretation. In addition, as of December 31, 2021, we have identified approximately 2,531 horizontal drilling locations in intervals in which we have drilled very few or no wells, which are necessarily more speculative and based on results from other operators whose acreage may not be consistent with ours. We cannot predict in advance of drilling and testing whether any particular drilling location will yield oil or natural gas in sufficient quantities to recover drilling or completion costs or to be economically viable. The use of technologies and the study of producing fields in the same area will not enable us to know conclusively prior to drilling whether oil or natural gas will be present or, if present, whether oil or natural gas will be present in sufficient quantities to be economically viable. Even if sufficient amounts of oil or natural gas exist, we may damage the potentially productive hydrocarbon bearing formation or experience mechanical difficulties while drilling or completing the well, possibly resulting in a reduction in production from the well or abandonment of the well. If we drill additional wells that we identify as dry holes in our current and future drilling locations, our drilling success rate may decline and materially harm our business. Through December 31, 2021, we are the operator of, have participated in, or have acquired working interest in a total of 2,842 horizontal producing wells completed on our acreage. We cannot assure you that the analogies we draw from available data from these or other wells, more fully explored locations or producing fields will be applicable to our drilling locations. Further, initial production rates reported by us or other operators in the Permian Basin may not be indicative of future or long-term production rates. Because of these uncertainties, we do not know if the potential drilling locations we have identified will ever be drilled or if we will be able to produce oil or natural gas from these or any other potential drilling locations. As such, our actual drilling activities may materially differ from those presently identified, which could adversely affect our business.

Leases on oil and natural gas properties typically have a term of three to five years, after which they expire unless, prior to expiration, production is established within the spacing units covering the undeveloped acres. The cost to renew such leases may increase significantly, and we may not be able to renew such leases on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Any reduction in our current drilling program, either through a reduction in capital expenditures or the unavailability of drilling rigs, could result in the loss of acreage through lease expirations. In order to hold our current leases expiring in 2022, we will need to operate at least a one-rig program. Any non-renewal or other loss of leases could materially and adversely affect the growth of our asset basis, cash flows and results of operations.

We are a party to long-term crude oil agreements under which, subject to certain terms and conditions, we are obligated to deliver specified quantities of oil to our counterparties. Our maximum delivery obligation under these agreements varies for different periods and depends in some cases upon certain conditions beyond our control. If production from our Permian Basin acreage decreases due to decreased developmental activities, as a result of the low commodity price environment, production related difficulties or otherwise, we may be unable to meet our obligations under our oil purchase agreements, which may result in deficiency payments to certain counterparties or a default under such agreements and may have an adverse effect on our company.

The oil and natural gas industry is cyclical, which can result in shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly sand and other proppants), supplies and personnel. When shortages occur, the costs and delivery times of rigs, equipment and supplies increase and demand for, and wage rates of, qualified drilling rig crews also rise with increases in demand. We cannot predict whether these conditions will exist in the future and, if so, what their timing and duration will be. In accordance with customary industry practice, we rely on independent third party service providers to provide most of the services necessary to drill new wells. If we are unable to secure a sufficient number of drilling rigs at reasonable costs, our financial condition and results of operations could suffer, and we may not be able to drill all of our acreage before our leases expire. In addition, we do not have long-term contracts securing the use of our existing rigs, and the operators of those rigs may choose to cease providing services to us. Shortages of drilling rigs, equipment, raw materials (particularly sand and other proppants), supplies, personnel, trucking services, tubulars, fracking and completion services and production equipment could delay or restrict our exploration and development operations, which in turn could impair our financial condition and results of operations.

Our producing properties are currently geographically concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas. As a result of this concentration, we may be disproportionately exposed to the impact of regional supply and demand factors, delays or interruptions of production from wells in this area caused by governmental regulation, processing or transportation capacity constraints, availability of equipment, facilities, personnel or services market limitations or interruption of the processing or transportation of crude oil, natural gas or natural gas liquids and extreme weather conditions, such as the severe winter storms in the Permian Basin in February 2021, and their adverse impact on production volumes, availability of electrical power, road accessibility and transportation facilities. In addition, the effect of fluctuations on supply and demand may become more pronounced within specific geographic oil and natural gas producing areas such as the Permian Basin, which may cause these conditions to occur with greater frequency or magnify the effects of these conditions. Due to the concentrated nature of our portfolio of properties, a number of our properties could experience any of the same conditions at the same time, resulting in a relatively greater impact on our results of operations than they might have on other companies that have a more diversified portfolio of properties. Such delays or interruptions could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition to the geographic concentration of our producing properties described above, as of December 31, 2021, most of our proved reserves are concentrated in the Wolfberry play in the Midland Basin. This concentration of assets within a small number of producing horizons exposes us to additional risks, such as changes in field-wide rules and regulations that could cause us to permanently or temporarily shut-in all of our wells within a field.

Water is an essential component of deep shale oil and natural gas production during both the drilling and hydraulic fracturing processes. Historically, we have been able to purchase water from local land owners for use in our operations. Over the past several years, Texas has experienced extreme drought conditions. As a result of this severe drought, some local water districts have begun restricting the use of water subject to their jurisdiction for hydraulic fracturing to protect local water supply. If we are unable to obtain water to use in our operations from local sources, or we are unable to effectively utilize flowback water, we may be unable to economically drill for or produce oil and natural gas, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

A significant portion of our net leasehold acreage is undeveloped, or acreage on which wells have not been drilled or completed to a point that would permit the production of commercial quantities of oil and natural gas regardless of whether such acreage contains proved reserves. In addition, many of our oil and natural gas leases require us to drill wells that are commercially productive and to maintain the production in paying quantities, and if we are unsuccessful in drilling such wells and maintaining such production, we could lose our rights under such leases. Our future oil and natural gas reserves and production and, therefore, our future cash flow and income are highly dependent on successfully developing our undeveloped leasehold acreage.

Oil and natural gas operations in our operating areas can be adversely affected by seasonal or permanent restrictions on drilling activities designed to protect various wildlife. Seasonal restrictions may limit our ability to operate in protected areas and can intensify competition for drilling rigs, oilfield equipment, services, supplies and qualified personnel, which may lead to periodic shortages when drilling is allowed. These constraints and the resulting shortages or high costs could delay our operations and materially increase our operating and capital costs. Permanent restrictions imposed to protect threatened or endangered species could prohibit drilling in certain areas or require the implementation of expensive mitigation measures. The designation of previously unprotected species in areas where we operate as threatened or endangered could cause us to incur increased costs arising from species protection measures or could result in limitations on our exploration and production activities that could have an adverse impact on our ability to develop and produce our reserves.

The July 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which we refer to as Dodd-Frank Act, provides for federal oversight of the over-the-counter derivatives market and entities that participate in that market and mandates that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which we refer to as the CFTC, the SEC, and federal regulators of financial institutions, which we refer to as the Prudential Regulators, adopt rules or regulations implementing the Dodd-Frank Act and providing definitions of terms used in the Dodd-Frank Act. The Dodd-Frank Act establishes margin requirements and requires clearing and trade execution practices for certain market participants and may result in certain market participants needing to curtail or cease their derivatives activities. Although some of the rules necessary to implement the Dodd-Frank Act remain to be adopted, the CFTC, the SEC and the Prudential Regulators have issued many rules to implement the Dodd-Frank Act, including a rule, which we refer to as the Mandatory Clearing Rule, requiring clearing of hedges, or swaps, that are subject to it (currently, only certain interest rate and credit default swaps), a rule, which we refer to as the End User Exception, establishing an "end user" exception to the Mandatory Clearing Rule, a rule, which we refer to as the Margin Rule, setting forth collateral requirements in connection with swaps that are not cleared and also an exception to the Margin Rule for end users that are not financial end users, which exception we refer to as the Non-Financial End User Exception, and a rule imposing position limits, which we refer to as the Position Limit Rule, and also an exception to the Position Limit Rule for swaps that constitute a "bona fide hedging transaction or position" within the definition of such term under the Position Limit Rule, subject to the party claiming the exemption complying with the applicable filing, recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Position Limit Rule, which we refer to as the Bona Fide Hedging Exception. We qualify for the End User Exception to the Mandatory Clearing Rule, we qualify for the Non-Financial End User Exception and will not be required to post margin in connection with uncleared swaps under the Margin Rule, and each of our existing and anticipated hedging positions constitutes a "bona fide hedging transaction or position" under the Position Limit Rule and we intend to undertake the filing, recordkeeping and reporting necessary to utilize the Bona Fide Hedging Exception under the Position Limit Rule, so we do not expect to be directly affected by any of such rules. However, most if not all of our hedge counterparties will be subject to mandatory clearing in connection with their hedging activities with parties who do not qualify for the End User Exception and will be required to post margin in connection with their hedging activities with other swap dealers, major swap participants, financial end users and other persons that do not qualify for the Non-Financial End User Exception. In addition, the European Union and other non-U.S. jurisdictions have enacted laws and regulations (including laws and regulations giving the European Union financial authorities the power to write-down amounts we may be owed on hedging agreements with counterparties subject to such laws and regulations and/or require that we accept equity interests in such counterparties in lieu of cash in satisfaction of such amounts), which we refer to collectively as Foreign Regulations, which may apply to our transactions with counterparties subject to such Foreign Regulations, which we refer to as Foreign Counterparties, and the U.S. adopted law and rules, which we call the U.S. Resolution Stay Rules, clarifying similar rights of U.S. banking authorities with respect to banking institutions subject to their regulation. The Dodd-Frank Act, the rules which have been adopted and not vacated, the Limit Rule and the U.S. Resolution Stay Rules could significantly increase the cost of our derivative contracts, materially alter the terms of our derivative contracts, reduce the availability of derivatives to us that we have historically used to protect against risks that we encounter in our business, reduce our ability to monetize or restructure our existing derivative contracts and increase our exposure to less creditworthy counterparties. The Foreign Regulations could have similar effects. If we reduce our use of derivatives as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulation, the U.S. Resolution Stay Rules and Foreign Regulations, our results of operations may become more volatile and our cash flows may be less predictable, which could adversely affect our ability to plan for and fund capital expenditures. Finally, the Dodd-Frank Act was intended, in part, to reduce the volatility of oil and natural gas prices, which some legislators attributed to speculative trading in derivatives and commodity contracts related to oil and natural gas. Our revenues could therefore be adversely affected if a consequence of the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations is to lower commodity prices. Any of these consequences could have a material adverse effect on us, our financial condition and our results of operations.

The oil and natural gas industry is characterized by rapid and significant technological advancements and introductions of new products and services using new technologies. As others use or develop new technologies, we may be placed at a competitive disadvantage or may be forced by competitive pressures to implement those new technologies at substantial costs. In addition, other oil and natural gas companies may have greater financial, technical and personnel resources that allow them to enjoy technological advantages and that may in the future allow them to implement new technologies before we can. We may not be able to respond to these competitive pressures or implement new technologies on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost. If one or more of the technologies we use now or in the future were to become obsolete, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

There are many variables and uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, including the emergence, contagiousness and threat of new and different strains of the virus and their severity; the effectiveness of treatments or vaccines against the virus or its new strains; the extent of travel restrictions, business closures and other measures that are or may be imposed in affected areas or countries by governmental authorities; disruptions in the supply chain; an increasingly competitive labor market due to a sustained labor shortage or increased turnover caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; increased logistics costs; additional costs due to remote working arrangements, adherence to social distancing guidelines and other COVID-19-related challenges. Further, there remain increased risks of cyberattacks on information technology systems used in a remote working environment; increased privacy-related risks due to processing health-related personal information; absence of workforce due to illness; the impact of the pandemic on any of our contractual counterparties; and other factors that are currently unknown or considered immaterial. It is difficult to assess the ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition and cash flows.