Auto Sales -- Another Trump Rally? SM Energy Looking To Boost Presence In The Permian; Drop Back In Eagle Ford -- January 4, 2017

Saudi oil imports: this is interesting. It's never happened to me before. At 12:10 p.m. Central Time, this date, I was unable to access EIA site for Saudi oil imports to US, "Server Too Busy." Several attempts later, able to access:

Drudge Report DDOS: last night I blogged that I was unable to access Drudge and suspected DDOS; today that was confirmed. 

Auto sales, the Trump rally continues: auto sales for December come in much higher than expected; once full numbers are reported it's possible December sales -- the Trump effect -- will push annual sales for 2016 at record pace.

Moves, from Albany (NY) Times Union, data points, for 2016:

• people from from New York state outnumber arrivals by two-to-one
• 59% of moves within the eastern US were outbound  
• states where people are moving: mostly western states and the Carolinas, one exception, Vermont
• South Dakota: #1 in inbound moves -- 68% of moves in South Dakota are inbound
• #1 and #2 for outbound moves: New Jersey and Illinois
• #3 for outbound moves: New York state
• the top ten: inbound and outbound moves by state

SM Energy to sell some Eagle Ford Assets, at Reuters, data points:

• $800 million 
• buyer: KKR's Venado Oil and Gas LLC
• assets operated by a third party
• 37,500 net acres, related pipeline, infrastructure
• SM Energy looking for cash to boost present in the Permian Basin
• plans to buy 35,700 net acres in Texas's Howard and Martin counties: $1.6 billion 
• $21,000 /  acres vs $43,000 / acre

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Back To The Bakken

Active rigs:

	1/4/2017	01/04/2016	01/04/2015	01/04/2014	01/04/2013
Active Rigs	40	59	171	184	179

RBN Energy: prepping crude for pipeline and a min-crisis in the Permian.

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The Market

Mid-morning: up about 45 points. NYSE:

• new highs, 135: CNP (a big whoop); Royal Dutch Shell;
• new lows, 4:

The opening: continues to melt up; about 26 points to the upside.

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Obama Makes A Rare Visit To Congress To Try To Save ObamaCare

Mainstream media is calling it a "rare visit." Other than state-of-the-union addresses has the president every visited Congress? 

Which takes us to #4 of the 20 songs to be played in the transition countdown.

Hit the Road, Jack, Ray Charles