The Million Dollar Way (The Bakken Oil Blog): 08/24/21

Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Time To Watch Some Perry Mason -- And A US Supreme Court Note -- Off The Net For The Night -- August 24, 2021

I Need To Get A Life -- LOL -- But These Things Bug Me -- August 24, 2021

I have no idea why this site has not been updated. This is a screenshot from August 24, 2021:

In fact, OKE paid its quarterly dividend on August 16, 2021, in line with previous dividends: 93.5 cents/share (at least to the best of my knowledge that is accurate).

In addition, there are sources that suggest OKE's next quarterly dividend:

ex-div: October 29, 2021
pay date: November 12, 2021

OKE has not raised its dividend since January 24, 2020, and it was only a two-cent increase.

******************************
Cryptocurrency -- Visa

Link to MarketWatch.

Why did Visa just buy a ‘CryptoPunk’ NFT for $150,000?

The payments giant wants ‘a seat at the table as the crypto economy evolves.’

Visa says it doesn’t expect to be the last major institution to buy an NFT.

**********************
Playing for Change

Sittin' on the dock of the bay, playing for change.

An Oasis Spratley Federal Well In Alkali Creek Goes Over 500K Bbls Crude Oil Cumulative -- August 24, 2021

Previous entry:

June 7, 2020: watch this 2018 well hit 500K soon: #33524, maybe at end of 2020? t1/18; cum 478K 1/21; cum 498K 6/21; at 4,000 bbls/month, this well has gone over 500K bbls cumulative.

The well:

33524, 930, Oasis, Spratley Federal 5494 44-13 3BX, Alkali Creek, t1/18; cum 498K 6/21; recent production:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	6-2021	30	4198	4068	2934	14733	13471	602
BAKKEN	5-2021	31	4876	5054	3278	15176	14434	60
BAKKEN	4-2021	29	4106	3864	2522	11663	10864	161
BAKKEN	3-2021	20	2235	2356	1497	6795	6262	115
BAKKEN	2-2021	28	4259	4249	2770	11820	11176	28
BAKKEN	1-2021	24	3808	3805	2038	9960	9395	37
BAKKEN	12-2020	31	4708	4628	2987	13491	12757	52
BAKKEN	11-2020	30	4928	4836	3186	13365	12660	45

Wells That I No Longer Track -- Page 17

For first sixteen pages in this series, see this link; scroll to bottom of that page.

March 18, 2020: ************** approved for re-entry; will be re-fracked when new wells to the west are fracked, scheduled for August, 2020 -- #37159, #37158, #37157, #37156, #37315 (these wells are now on drl status -- November 15, 2020):

The well:

17256, IA/430, MRO, Reiss Ranch 24-10H, Killdeer, t7/08; cum 229K 2/20;

December 8, 2019: the Kuhn wells need a stand-alone post, to include #20638; and, 22158. See this post re: Kuhn. #20638, cum 491K 8/21; #22158, cum 492K 7/20; off line 8/20; remains off line 10/21; will be tracked here;

November 26, 2019: #18396 (PA - 6/20), #26519, cum 408K 8/21;

November 20, 2019: #26575, #19251, #26576, #23799, recent neighboring wells fracked; #19251 did show a "halo" effect; mentioned in passing in a blog post; see this note, November 20, 2020;

November 18, 2019: #20354, many wells around this well being fracked; see this note; remains off line 6/20; back on line 10/20 and production looks good;

October 12, 2019: #24338 -- big well; off line; Bruin probably re-fracking; remains off line 9/20; now IAW; now AB, 4/21;December 16, 2019: #18407, #19404; minimal production, 11/19; see this post; see production over seven days, 6,471 bbls, 12/19;

December 28, 2019: #18436; two wells to the south to be fracked soon; remains off line 11/19; back on line 1/120; no jump in production; hold it here until it goes over 500K; Croff oil field; cum 485K 3/21; off line 5/21; remains off line 8/21; see this note;

January 30, 2020: several recently fracked wells cut horizontally across these three wells, #18766 (Fettig), #20711; #20995; first month back, #18766 with a nice jump in production but others not reporting yet; follow a bit longer;

February 21, 2020: #18298, huge well near recently fracked well; #19174 (AB); in same area; #20437, in same area; the first two still off line; #20437 with nice jump in production;I no longer track these wells as wells that need to be followed up.

April 24, 2020: MRO wells in Reunion Bay near recently fracked wells -- #22640, #21608, #26464 (noted to be AB 8/21), #18243; see this note;

April 22, 2020: MRO wells in Reunion Bay near recently fracked wells -- #26464, #26463, #26462, #26461, #21466, #23209;

May 7, 2020: #16772; lots of neighboring fracking; 8/21: nice production, but nothing great;

May 16, 2020: #21630 -- just came off line; 5-well pad; rig on site; new wells being drilled/completed; MRO; Reunion Bay; remains off line, 5/20; back on line 12/20; nice jump in production 1/21; wait to see if it's sustained; sustained, 8/21; not sustained;

May 11, 2020: #16683; just taken off line (2/20); much activity in the area; remains off line 11/20; AB, remains off line 8/21;

May 12, 2020: #21800, #21801, #21802, #21807, #21805, #21803; some of these wells are showing minimal production in 5/20; appear to be getting back to normal by 8/21;

October 6, 2020:

36079, conf-->loc-->loc/NC, Petro-Hunt, Hartman 144-97-5B-8-2H, Little Knife, finally being reported.

sister well on this pad:

20860, 540, Petro-Hunt, Hartman 144-97-5A-8-1H, Little Knife, t7/12; cum 138K 11/20; a stripper well as of 2020; 27 stages; 3.3 million lbs proppant; a lousy well from the very beginning; cum 144K 6/21;

December 3, 2020: #36887 (33-061-04580; Amber Renee 250-36H-R; Sanish) and #36888 (33-061-04581; Sophia Drake 25-36H-R; Sanish)-- update here; see this note; still no production data, 1/21; drl/NC; last checked, 6/21; see this note;

December 16, 2020: #24163, #24164 -- huge Enerplus Cloud pad fracked next to these two wells; no halo effect for #24163; #24164 still off line, 6/21; 24164 noted to be AB, 8/21;

January 11, 2021: #18692; huge MRO wells in Reunion Bay fracked directly across this horizontal; IA noted January 11, 2021; remains off line 6/21; off line 8/21 and now AB;

June 16, 2021: 18880, 129, MRO, Everett Fisher USA 41-6H, Reunion Bay, t7/10; cum 396K 3/21; off line 4/21; numerous wells in the area being fracked; remains off line 6/21; tracked here. Huge jump in production when it came back on line.

April 3, 2021: #22041; an old Hess well that cuts right through CLR's Long Creek Unit;

March 19, 2021: this well and several others have just come off line and I can't find reason --

18153, 647, Marathon, Brodahl 31-25H (2 sec), Reunion Bay, t9/09; cum 453K 11/20; off line 12/20, remains off line 1/21; back on line 2/21; nothing special; steady Eddy; 458K 6/21;

March 1, 2021:

22418, 724, Hess, BW-Spring Creek-149-99-1201H-1, Cherry Creek, t12/12; cum 120K 10/20; remains off line 1/21 while neighboring wells are fracked; back on line 4/21; not remarkable yet; yet to see how it will do; looks good; nice well, but nothing remarkable, 6/21;

December 29, 2020: nice production but no frack data; was this well ever fracked? #33929. As of February 9, 2021 no FracFocus data; a second bench Three Forks well; stimulation test, March 7, 2020, but no data;

November 14, 2020: #20669, #24713; two different pads; look at them both; on either side of a seven-well pad in the process of being drilled/completed; #24713 still off line; #20669 not remarkable; #24713 coming back on line; looks like it might be a good one; returns to production, much better but nothing outstanding;

September 22, 2020: #20995; four new wells cut right across this old horizontal running at 90°; see this interim update;

August 12, 2020: fresh water by mass only 60% in these three Enerplus wells; 10% produced water by mass used in the fracks;

35600, SI/NC-->SI/A-->GL/A/490, Enerplus, Alto 149-94-33C-28H-TF, Eagle Nest, first production, 2/20; t--; cum 199K 1/21; did not shut down; however, only 24 days in 6/20; a 28K month; from Fracfocus: 5.6 million gallons of water, moderate (almost small) frack; fourteen days to frack; water: 59.99% by mass; if that's accurate, that's remarkable; generally, water by mass runs 87% to 92%; cum 236K 6/21;
35599, SI/NC-->SI/A-->GL/A/1,177, Enerplus, Haze 149-94-33C-28H-TF, Eagle Nest, first production, 2/20; t--; cum 228K 12/20; did not shut down; 29 days in 6/20; a 34K month; from Fracfocus: 8.3 million gallons of water, moderately large frack; fourteen days to frack; water: 60.57% by mass; if that's accurate, that's remarkable; generally, water by mass runs 87% to 92%; cum 266K 6/21;
35598, SI/NC-->SI/A-->GL/A/1,031, Enerplus, Vapor 149-94-33C-28H-TF, Eagle Nest, first production, 2/20; t--; cum 183K 12/20; did not shut down, but only 10 days in 6/20; a 33K month; from Fracfocus: 8.5 million gallons of water, moderately large frack; fourteen days to frack; water: 60.66% by mass; if that's accurate, that's remarkable; generally, water by mass runs 87% to 92%; cum 217K 6/21;

July 3, 2020: the HBU Marmon Federal wells; particularly the parent well, #18143; unremarkable.

June 7, 2020: watch this 2018 well hit 500K soon: #33524, maybe at end of 2020? t1/18; cum 478K 1/21; cum 498K 6/21; at 4,000 bbls/month, this well has gone over 500K bbls cumulative.

Kraken With Four New Permits; EOG Cancels Another Nine Hawkeye Permits; Five DUCs Reported As Completed-- August 24, 2021

WTI: up another 3% today; up $2.00/bbl; trading at $67.63

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Back to the Bakken

Active rigs:

$67.63	8/24/2021	08/24/2020	08/24/2019	08/24/2018	08/24/2017
Active Rigs	22*	11	64	62	54

Twenty-two active oil and gas rigs according to the daily activity report.

Four new permits, #38509 - #38512, inclusive:

Operator: Kraken
Fields: Burg (Williams); Ellisville (Williams)
Comments:

Kraken has permits for four wells to be sited in NENE 9-158-99: Jenna, Jenna LE, Alamo, and Maddie;
the wells will be sited 375 FNL and between 396 FEL and 528 FEL

Seven permits renewed:

Zavanna: seven Hunter permits renewed, section 29-150-102;

Eleven permits canceled, EOG cancels another nine Hawkeye permits:

EOG (9): nine Hawkeye permits, section 24/25-152-95, McKenzie County
CLR (2): a Bismarck permit in Williams County; and a Gjorven Federal permit, also in Williams County;

Five producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

37288, 1,573, Kraken, Marcy 24-13 5H,
34378, 1,658, White Butte Oil Operations, Jore Federal 4-12H, Clarks Creek,
34375, 998, White Butte Oil Operations, Jore Federal 3-12H, Clarks Creek,
34377, 887, White Butte Oil Operations, Jore Federal 10-12TFH, Clarks Creek,
34373, 520, White Butte Oil Operations, Jore Federal 11-12TFH, Clarks Creek,

Wells of interest near #37288:

21014, IA/472, Kraken, Marcy 1-24H, Oliver, t12/11; cum 194K 7/20; remains off line 6/21;
22579, 466, Kraken, Marcy 2-24H, Oliver, t8/12; cum 165K 6/21;
22580, IA/240, Kraken, Marcy 3-24H, Oliver, t8/12; cum 150K 9/20; remains off line 6/21;

Saudi Arabia Update -- Recovery -- August 24, 2021

Saudi Arabia foreign exchange reserves, link here. For last month, I think that was an all-time low in modern history, but this month a nice recovery, foreign exchange reserves in Saudi Arabia increased to 1672260 SAR million in June from 1639349 SAR million in May, 2021:

Saudi oil exports, June, 2021, soared by 123%, link to Tsvetana Paraskova:

Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports hit a five-month high in June at nearly 6 million barrels per day (bpd) as the world’s top oil exporter and entire OPEC+ group continued to ease the cuts amid recovering global demand.

Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports in June rose for a second consecutive month to reach 5.965 million bpd, data from the Joint Organisations Data Initiative (JODI) showed last week. That was the highest export volume since January 2021.

Off The Net -- Going Swimming -- "Focus On Fracking" -- August 24, 2021

While I'm gone, consider checking out the most recent edition of "Focus on Fracking." This week's lede:

oil in longest losing streak since 2019;
global oil shortage at 2,540,000 barrels per day;
DUC well backlog at 7.1 months.

Let's Make A Deal -- Big Bend -- August 24, 2021

Disclaimer:

in a long note like this, there will be content and typographical errors;
this is not an investment site;
this site is for education and entertainment only; no recommendations ever given or implied;
I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken
if this is of interest to you, go to the source.

Since this is a private deal, we will "never" know the bid / ask, but my hunch:

a cool one million dollars will be the ask;

and that may be too low

I have the piece of scratch paper (an old envelope) on which I did the math; will keep it in the archives;

From Hart Energy, August 20, 2021.

Private seller offering:

80 net mineral acres
six horizontal wells plus five DUCs
operated by Slawson
average monthly income: $14,000
leased at 20%

From Hart Energy:

From the NDIC:

The wells, most of these wells run south; several run north:

35206, 1,627, Slawson, Stallion Federal 1 SLH, Big Bend, t7/19; cum 349K 6/21; most recent month: 11K 6/21;
35205, 818, Slawson, Stallion Federal 5 SLTFH, Big Bend, t7/19; cum 238K 6/21; most recent month: 12K 6/21;
20203, 833, Slawson, Stallion 2-1-12H, Big Bend, t1/12; cum 544K 6/21; most recent month: 2K 6/21;
35204, conf-->loc/PNC, Slawson, Stallion 8-1-12TF2H, Big Bend;
20204, 743, Slawson, Zephyr 2-36H, Big Bend, t1/12; cum 261K 6/21; most recent month: 1K 6/21;

36126, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Stallion 4-1-12TFH, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 19K 11/21; see this note;
37218, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Zephyr Federal 4-36H, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 42K 11/21;
36125, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Stallion 3-1-12H, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 69K 11/21;
36124, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Stallion 8-1-12TFH, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 48K 11/21;
36123, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Stallion 7-1-12H, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 54K 11/21;
36122, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Stallion 5-1-12TFH, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 30K 11/21;
36121, drl/NC-->drl/A, Slawson, Zephyr Federal 3-36H, Big Bend, first production, 10/21; t--; cum 41K 11/21;

18364, 1,526, Slawson, Zephyr 1-36H, Big Bend, t2/10; cum 451K 6/21; most recent month: 1.5K 6/21; see this note;
18180, 2,561, Slawson, Stallion 1-1-12H, Big Bend, t2/10; cum 548K 6/21; most recent month: 0.5K 6/21
28220, 495, Slawson, Stallion 6-1-12TFH, Big Bend, t12/14; cum 222K 6/21; most recent month: 3K 6/21;
28219, 1,747, Slawson, Sniper Federal 1 SLH, Big Bend, t12/14; cum 372K 6/21; most recent month: 3.3K 6/21;
29151, 215, Slawson, Rainmaker Federal 10-36-25TF2H, Big Bend, t5/15; cum 188K 6/21; most recent month: 2K 6/21;

Re-Posting Today's Look At Covid-19 -- August 24, 2021

Just plain silly. Even at the peak of hysteria this was viewed as silly:

Oregon governor Kate Brown has imposed OUTDOOR mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status. This speaks volumes about the governor and the state of Oregon. Antifa has been complying with this mandate, like, forever.

The homeless are specifically exempt from mask mandates.

Interestingly, the latest surge has already peaked. This is the worst "option" the governor could have selected:

Meanwhile, the NFL: I'm watching the New York Giants / Cleveland game -- not sure if it's live or recorded -- doesn't matter -- I'm not going to watch any more of it -- five minutes was more than enough -- but the stadium was full and I'm sure "no one" was wearing a mask. This tells me folks are ready to "power through" Covid-19. There comes a point when one needs to live life, not worry incessantly about death and dying.

Re-posting below.

**********************
Covid-19

Time to take another look at "Coronavirus Tracker" over at The WSJ.

new cases: the southeast, from eastern New Mexico all the way to the tip of Florida, and north to Kentucky, is getting hammered;
fully vaccinated: slow-going.

Japan to expand coronavirus state of emergency to Hokkaido -- the northern island -- and seven other prefectures. Link here.

Hawaii: corroborates my "feelings" regarding Covid-19 -- link here. A reader sent this to me asking ifit was accurate. My reply:

This is accurate (comes from a reliable site).

This corroborates everything I've thought about the virus and the vaccine from the beginning.

It will be interesting when/if journalists ever ask the "right" questions on this now that we've had a year-plus experience with Spanish Flu II.

So Much Money Floating Around -- Juneteenth, 2021

Crazy. From one of the more respected talking heads, over at twitter:

on the front page of The WSJ, Saturday, discussing a federal reserve signal pertaining to a policy action that is two years away! This highlights the extent to which markets have embraced the Fed-driven liquidity paradigm and, in the process, have disconnected from fundamentals. The WSJ headline:
rate-hike worries send Dow to worst week since October

So much money floating around out there. Exhibit A. Note, for at least the second time in the past year, this product is "out of stock."

Greta's nightmare:

Three RimRock Two Shields Butte Wells Updated -- August 24, 2021

The wells (original note here):

36398, SI/NC-->F/A, Rimrock, Two Shields Butte 4-24-12-4H3U, Mandaree, t--; cum 44K 4/20; first production, 12/19; t--; cum 213K 6/21;

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	5-2021	31	8958	9008	11145	24428	22018	395
BAKKEN	4-2021	30	9790	9787	11856	18612	16409	368
BAKKEN	3-2021	30	9252	9207	10553	16342	13648	1087
BAKKEN	2-2021	28	9835	9865	11143	17904	14807	1439
BAKKEN	1-2021	31	12390	12353	13701	19337	12398	5211
BAKKEN	12-2020	31	13507	13544	14430	20406	12789	4844
BAKKEN	11-2020	30	14851	14834	16466	20543	7674	11482
BAKKEN	10-2020	31	16174	16189	17851	19433	11931	5966
BAKKEN	9-2020	30	15657	15672	20807	18058	15176	1506
BAKKEN	8-2020	31	17350	17295	24910	18642	15879	1460
BAKKEN	7-2020	31	17449	17347	18967	17883	15586	1061
BAKKEN	6-2020	30	16842	16562	32089	16193	12532	1218
BAKKEN	5-2020	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	4-2020	2	344	1182	1733	805	731	48
BAKKEN	3-2020	31	17458	17136	55102	17106	15563	809
BAKKEN	2-2020	29	15727	15354	57846	15057	13829	551
BAKKEN	1-2020	23	9434	9537	45221	10761	7160	2827
BAKKEN	12-2019	31	749	444	3314	389	0	389

36399, SI/NC-->ALK/A, Rimrock, Two Shields Butte 4-24-12-4H3, Mandaree, first production, 1/20, t--; cum 20K 3/20; off line 4/20; back on line 11/20; cum 98K 5/21;

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	5-2021	31	8998	8933	13116	26086	23214	1120
BAKKEN	4-2021	30	10254	10281	14206	24693	22472	641
BAKKEN	3-2021	29	9849	9821	14522	22271	18736	2160
BAKKEN	2-2021	28	10775	10788	14634	23640	19553	2644
BAKKEN	1-2021	31	13297	13262	18833	23830	13864	8499
BAKKEN	12-2020	31	14540	14399	19992	21462	10435	7945
BAKKEN	11-2020	22	10192	9910	15106	7430	3020	3745
BAKKEN	10-2020	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	9-2020	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	8-2020	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	7-2020	0	0	2	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	6-2020	17	81	79	10476	1613	1260	181
BAKKEN	5-2020	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	4-2020	0	0	5	0	0	0	0
BAKKEN	3-2020	9	259	448	11119	277	210	40
BAKKEN	2-2020	28	9023	9017	49043	6114	5285	292
BAKKEN	1-2020	25	10407	10218	53425	7235	3153	3760

36400, SI/NC-->1,013, Rimrock, Two Shields Butte 3-24-12-3H, Mandaree, F, t1/20; cum 92K 4/20; cum 235K 6/21;

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	5-2021	31	5193	5146	3654	16600	14201	685
BAKKEN	4-2021	30	5713	5755	3861	15780	13808	394
BAKKEN	3-2021	29	6041	6030	4842	17326	14304	1649
BAKKEN	2-2021	28	6766	6785	5356	18025	14607	1975
BAKKEN	1-2021	31	8645	8609	7082	18816	10757	6594
BAKKEN	12-2020	26	9013	9087	6233	13805	6656	5068
BAKKEN	11-2020	30	12157	12213	10154	18492	7516	9321
BAKKEN	10-2020	31	13558	13609	13293	18235	12045	4616
BAKKEN	9-2020	30	16124	15992	15007	17906	15277	1227
BAKKEN	8-2020	22	11306	11436	11844	12540	10627	986
BAKKEN	7-2020	31	19973	20130	18967	20570	17997	1099
BAKKEN	6-2020	30	23079	23837	22875	21668	16932	2437
BAKKEN	5-2020	1	957	101	654	1679	1540	18
BAKKEN	4-2020	30	23030	23081	29335	21628	17329	2036
BAKKEN	3-2020	31	26765	26653	33366	23006	17438	3321
BAKKEN	2-2020	28	20295	20267	41040	17471	15102	835
BAKKEN	1-2020	31	22306	21896	79160	17346	7560	9014

One Of The Most Amazing Graphs Ever -- July 19, 2021

From an earlier post:

This chart simply amazes me: link here. Story here by Charles Kennedy.

How can a country make such a huge mistake -- they could not have seen the global lockdown coming, but that much oil that fast, under any circumstances? What were they possibly thinking?

... And, Oh, By The Way, No Super-Spreader Reports -- Sturgis Rally -- August 24, 2021

By the way, most pundits have said "most" cyclists attending the rally were unvaccinated and yet there's no evidence of any surge in Covid-19 since the rally, unlike what we're seeing in Oregon, one of the most vaccinated states in the union and the Covid-19 surge there worse than anywhere else in the US right now.

This brings us back to the vaccination issue and super-spreader issue. But that discussion for another day.

This is what I find most remarkable. Not mentioned: disorderly conduct arrests and arrests for drug dealing was very, very low.

Note source.

Stories We Might Get Back To Later, Part 2 -- August 24, 2024

For investors only. The usual disclaimer applies.

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

US markets: on track for new records.

NASDAQ screams to new all-time record; reaches 15,000 for first time ever.
Chinese stocks come roaring back (think Cathie Wood).
S&P 500 hits new all-time record led by AAPL, others.

XLNX: link here. The NASDAQ is record-bound and two stocks are leading the way.

AMD: AMD is stealing market share from Intel, and it's not stopping now.

WMT: opens local delivery service to other retailers. Gig workers driving Walmart grocery orders will also handle last-mile deliveries for other merchants. The question: why? Link to The WSJ.

Renewables: turbine makers left out in the cold as wind power booms. Link to Tsvetana Paraskova.

**********************
Covid-19

Time to take another look at "Coronavirus Tracker" over at The WSJ.

new cases: the southeast, from eastern New Mexico all the way to the tip of Florida, and north to Kentucky, is getting hammered;
fully vaccinated: slow-going.

Japan to expand coronavirus state of emergency to Hokkaido -- the northern island -- and seven other prefectures. Link here.

Hawaii: corroborates my "feelings" regarding Covid-19 --

Stories We Might Get Back To Later, Part 1 -- August 24, 2024

Cryptocurrency: is tracked here.

Cryptocurrency: biggest story of the day. Earlier (actually twice) I mentioned there will be a tipping point for cryptocurrency but won't post it, for various reasons. However, there were more hints today in news stories today. Here's one:

first link (also here): from a respected columnist -- a "maximalist" vision of bitcoin means every company will be a crypto company.

The latest move punctuates a particularly busy period for the digital currency, and crystallizes something that even its biggest critics have to acknowledge. Cryptocurrency in general, and bitcoin in particular, has been gaining major currency (pun intended) across sectors.

‌ PayPal’s decision is “a sign that every company will eventually be a crypto company — they just don’t know it yet,” Meltem Demirors, chief strategy officer at CoinShares, told Yahoo Finance Live in an interview on Monday. “And I think this trend is just getting started.” ‌

She was only half joking. In addition to the PayPal move, Wall Street is making crypto increasingly available to its clientele, while Facebook (FB) is also making its own ripples in the sector (albeit with a scaled-back version of its original grand design). Separately, trading platforms are clearly reaping the benefits of transacting in crypto (looking at you, Robinhood (HOOD)).

second link: Visa busy NFT of digital avatar tiwth mohawk for $150,000. The payments network shelled out for a CryptoPunk of a woman with clown-green eyes and "hot lipstick."

Visa Inc. bought a digital avatar for $150,000 in a show of support for a burgeoning area of investment in the realm of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology.

The purchase of CryptoPunk #7610 — one of a slate of digital avatars originally distributed free to anyone with an ethereum wallet — was made on Aug. 18 with 49.5 of the cryptocurrency ether.“We think NFTs will play an important role in the future of retail, social media, entertainment and commerce,” Cuy Sheffield, Visa’s head of crypto, said in a company blog post. Visa wanted to “signal our support” for people involved in the NFT market, Sheffield said.

Stories We Might Get Back To Later, Part 3 -- August 24, 2024

Oh, oh: Russia is pumping a lot less natural gas to Europe all of a sudden -- and it's not clear why. Link here. I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count, as my dad used to say. If folks can't sort this out, they're either not thinking hard enough, or they're over-thinking it.

The Pemex fire: link here. Shuts in 421,000 bopd with no ETA for power restored to allow restart, but one source suggests sooner than later. Art Berman weighs in with a re-tweet.

Motiva: probably won't amount to anything, but Motiva reported several process units at its 607,000 b/d Port Arthur, TX, refinery shut down unexpectedly due to loss of power -- occurred at approximately 13:08 hours, August 22, 2021. Link here.

No Wells Coming Off Confidential List; WTI Continues To Climb -- August 24, 2021

Bozo: there's a Chinese word for American wokeness: "baizuo." The Chinese are using it to undermine America's moral standing on the global stage. Link here. Pronounced "bozo." I can't make this stuff up.

WTI: another jump, up over 2%; up almost $1.50/bbl; now trading at $67.11. And again, we're hearing two reasons why (despite dollar getting stronger). Link here for some background.

Chinese economy coming back; delta surge receding;
short covering

Dollar strength and oil: link here. As noted earlier, CNBC erred yesterday saying the dollar was getting weaker.

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