Big Stories, #5 - #10, Inclusive -- Palindromic Wednesday -- 2-23-22

Before I forget: I am considering a new "top-five non-oil-related link: lithub. 

A reminder: the EIA's weekly petroleum report will be released tomorrow, a day later than usual due to the holiday Monday.

Kiev: power outage. Large-scale cyberattack is underway in Ukraine. "Everything" has been hit, crippled.

Russian coal deliveries to be delayed: unrelated to the "minor incursion." 

Due to "staff shortages due to Covid-19." Link to Charles Kennedy.

This would not have gotten my attention or posted had it not been posted by Charles Kennedy.

WTI/Brent spread: since the "minor incursion," the spread had stayed consistently around $5.00. 

• Brent, $98; WTI, $93. 
• JSG: "this is the largest I've seen Brent WTI diiff in a long time."
• Oil to temporarily plummet with Iran "deal."
  

Biden: we can work with oil companies to get price of gasoline down.

• a reminder: Kamala Harris did indeed call for banning fracking during the primary campaign -- Axios
• and one wonders why shale operators are very, very cautious adding rigs this year

Russian Urals heavy oil: at record highs. So much for sanctions. Last two paragraphs at this link:

At the same time, a surge in Brent prices is leading to record absolute prices for Urals oil, traders said, which may soften the impact of the big discount.

On Tuesday, the price of Urals oil cargoes loading from Baltic ports was around $95 per barrel - the highest since 2014.

Ukraine: could send oil prices $20 higher -- Bank of America. Or not. At the same link:

If, however, the situation in Ukraine de-escalates, oil prices could drop by between $2 and $4 per barrel, BofA said in a note on Tuesday. 

Like Rex Tillerson once said, "oil will probably trade between $20 and $120. A lot of folks pay big bucks for insights from BofA.

FANG, Reuters:

• higher-than-expected 4Q21 profits
• boosted dividend by 20%
• average unhedged realized prices during 4Q21: more than doubled to $56.47 / boe
• production: 387,000 boepd vs 299 boepd last year

Marathon Oil: upgraded to buy at Piper; See 25% upside. Link here.

Oil-to-electricity: New England has burned the most oil to generate electricity in over a decade this winter. Link here. 

Investors:

• five best stocks to buy now and hold forever, Motley Fool:
• Berkshire Hathaway
• Sherwin-Williams
• Home Depot
• Abbott Laboratories
• Microsoft
• the under-the-radar stock Warren Buffett has spent $51 billion buying over three years: his own company.  

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And She Even Plays Guitar

I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You, Hank Williams, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris

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The Book Page 

And there it is: Ukraine. It begins.

Volume One, The Gulag Archipelago, 1918 - 1956, p. 18 - 19, Aleksandra I. Solzhenitsyn.

Recounting his arrest by the SMERSH in 1945:

"You are under arrest!" -- his brigade commander.
"Me? What for?"
"You have ... " he asked weightily, "a friend on the First Ukrainian Front?"

SMERSH counterintelligence.

SMERSH: from the initial syllables of the words for "death to spies."

And then this.