The Market, Energy, And Political Page, Part 3, T+9 -- May 17, 2018

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, travel, or relationship decisions based on anything you read here or think you may have read here.

Quick takes:

• Holy mackerel! PSX jumped over 3% today; up $3.66; now trading over $121.80; wow, PSX boosted its dividend by 14%; 
• WMB jumps after $10.5 billion deal to buy Williams Partners common shares (link). Up 6%.
• COP chooses Eagle Ford over Permian; here's why -- Zacks (link). 
• Trans Mountain pipeline: British Columbia threatens to sue if Alberta turns oil tap off (link). Big story. Drop-dead date: May 31, 2018
• Market: in general, oil companies are moving up and so is a transportation company -- UNP is up 1.1% -- pretty bullish sign when one considers that the price of energy -- something that UNP uses a lot of -- is moving up also

Trans Mountain: with regard to the linked article on Alberta and British Columbia, a reader with history of insightful comments noted:

Apparently, Alberta passed law yesterday giving (local) Provincial) government authority to regulate (restrict) hydrocarbon flow out of province, aka, cutting back BC's fuel.

Alberta head honcho, Rachael Notely, threatening to act within hours if needed.

At this stage, winners and losers will appear and be labelled as such.

Should any fuel restrictions actually take place, political consequences will be massive ... and extend far beyond western Canada. 

Comment: if Alberta acts, it should be a headline story -- although Drudge Report will probably miss it.