Notes From All Over -- The Snarky Edition -- December 15, 2021

Updates

Later, 9:31 a.m. CT: this is pretty amazing. Note PFE below. I just checked on the other two --

• JNJ: turned green at the opening and is now just "barely" green;
• but Moderna? Up $11 / share. Yes, I agree. It was way oversold and is now up $11 / share, up about 4%. 
• As noted below, this is not rocket science.

Original Post

Break, break: link here. You will still owe taxes on the transfer.

Philadelphia cream cheese: your cheesecake is going to get very, very expensive this year. Memo to self: get to Target now. Link here.

Oil: wow, there's been a lot of twitter noise about Shell pulling out of the Cambo oil field. I wasn't going to talk about it; I think it's a non-story but then Platts posted this: the demise of the UK's Cambo oil project could prove a pivotal moment for the country's offshore industry blah, blah, blah .... am I missing something here? What is the Cambo project? From an operator in the Cambo:  

The Cambo Field would help to reduce the volume of imports required to meet energy demand in the UK, by delivering up to 170 million barrels of oil equivalent during its 25-year operational life. Cambo would also provide a further 53.5 billion cubic feet of gas – enough to power 1.5 million homes for a year.

Comment: If I'm reading that correctly, "... up to 170 million boe during its 25-year operational life ...." isn't that like, seven million bbls a year. The Bakken produces in excess of seven million bbls a week. 

Open book test for investors: of the three Covid-19 vaccines out there, it's my impression its the Pfizer vaccine that is #1 among equals. Moderna has myocardial risks for younger individuals, and I haven't heard much about the JNJ vaccine. And today there's this headline: JNJ vaccine loses antibody protection against Omicron in lab. 

Covid-19 vaccination rate, according to CDC, fully vaccinated, over the age of five years:

• Miami County, no mandate: 84.2%
• NYC County, very strict mandate: 83.3%

• Florida: 71%
• New York: 80%

Retail sales:

• no one is talking how hard the auto industry has been hit
• everyone seems to be forgetting how expensive the transition from ICE to EVs
• November retail sales miss forecasts by a country mile, as they say
• my hunch: December retail sales will be huge
• on another note: in brick and mortar department stores, sales are incredible -- not "sales" but "sales" as in 50% off "sales." 
• our go-to store? Southern jewel, Belk. 
• The "holiday sales" are incredible. It's hard to find anything that is not at least 50% off many days, and then when you get to cashier, another 20% is taken off at point of sale. We're finding bargains much, much better than what we're finding on Amazon
  

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Soccer Relief

"Club soccer" is over for the season. The team is "off" until February, 2022 ... unless Olivia's team's coach elects to have the team play in the Dallas Cup.

On the other hand, hgh school soccer continues. Olivia was one of three freshmen that made the varsity team last year and, of the three, we've always thought -- biased as we are -- she was #1 among equals.

The high school varsity soccer teams are now scrimmaging against area teams. Last night, Olivia was elated. There's a back story here which I cannot post, but Olivia was selected, as a sophomore to start, and, to be moved to the front on the field, where she was to be the offensive scorer for her team! 

Last night, with that in mind, her team won! And Olivia scored a goal.

And, on top of that, the goal Olivia made was a very, very good goal -- according to unbiased accounts. LOL.

s/a bragging grandfather.