Monday, Monday -- The Bakken ... And Apple (Why Not?)

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First off the blocks: KOG in SeekingAlpha.

There is only one potential rock in this shoe that could slow down the rate of progress Kodiak is experiencing: the looming specter of global contraction. The GDP numbers from China have been accused of being soft this quarter, and the EU remains stymied, if now slightly less than previously estimated, by untenable debts incurred by the peripheral states and a large amount of resentment as a result in the central economic powers.

These two issues, in conjunction, could result in a near term drag on global oil demand, and the cumulative effects they could have on global oil prices will remain one the largest impacts on the rate of development of the domestic oil plays, and will be coupled with further downside risk associated with the recent surplus of oil reported in the past few months.

No, the "potential rock in this shoe" is the Federal government stepping in with new fracking rules. As posted earlier, Whiting has this Bakken rule: no drilling in North Dakota where federal permits are required (BLM land) -- previously posted. 

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Futures: gonna be ugly today. Already down 120 points. Oil could drop below $100.

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MacRumors is reporting: AAPL tops Google, Coke to become world's most valuable brand. It quotes The New York Times:

Every so often, a company changes our lives, not just with its products, but also with its ethos. This is why, following Coca-Cola’s 13-year run at the top of Best Global Brands, Interbrand has a new #1—Apple. Few brands have enabled so many people to do so much so easily, which is why Apple has legions of adoring fans, as evidenced by the record-breaking launch of the iPhone 5c/5s. For revolutionizing the way we work, play, and communicate—and for mastering the ability to surprise and delight—Apple has set a high bar for aesthetics, simplicity, and ease of use that all other tech brands are now expected to match, and that Apple itself is expected to continually exceed.

From our perspective, Apple’s internal brand strength has remained steady. CEO Tim Cook has assembled a solid team that is aligned around the Apple vision, which has allowed them to deliver against the promise time and time again. There’s been a lot of change at the top in the last 12 months, but the alignment of both hardware and software design under Jonathan Ive is a major step toward maintaining focus. A shrewd move, perhaps, given the stiffer than ever competition over the last 12 months: Samsung is now the world’s most profitable smartphone manufacturer, Google has expanded Android and its maps still seem to be the “preferred” route, and Windows Phone 8 certainly raised more than a few eyebrows.

Windows?