Silver Bullion, Worst Investment Ever -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44402C.  

Now that I'm all caught up in my equity investing, and things are getting back to normal, I can start buying the worst investment product in the world: gold and silver coins. LOL.

I have "all" the US Silver Eagles through 2023, including the Type 1 and Type 2 from 2022. 

Now, to re-visit the Pandas and the Morgans.

The last Pandas I bought: 2020 Pandas (BU).

The 2021, 2022, and 2023 Pandas (BU) are out of stock. My local source said he quit buying Pandas in 2021 because the mark-up was excessive. 

So, maybe back to Morgans.

From January 26, 2019:

Silver bullion:

I got a telemarketer call the other day noting that I was a collector of rare coins.

Nope, I don't collect rare coins. I have a few but I don't collect them. I told the telemarketer that I buy the new American silver dollars (BU). She abruptly hung up, but not until muttering "bullion."

I never thought of American silver dollars (BU) as bullion, but they certainly aren't rare coins, so I guess to a telemarketer of rare coins, they are bullion. Disgusting. LOL.

But the 2019 China Pandas have been released. My biggest "coup": a year or so ago buying a few novelty silver coins (BU) and now they are hard to find; doubled in price. They go to the grandchildren.

I don't know why. I guess I'm like a lot of folks that like shiny objects. The China Panda story is very, very interesting. I doubt anyone really knows how many are minted any given year, and it wouldn't surprise me if China "re-minted" old vintages. You know, stamp 2011 on coins minted this year (2019). Nothing coming out of China would surprise me. But the buzz at the coin shows: as more and more Chinese move into "middle class," more and more will buy China Pandas. 

And now we see: 2021, 2022, and 2023 Pandas are out of stock.

Steak -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44401G.

Last week a reader sent me an article from Texas Monthly on Tom Perini of Perini Ranch in west Texas.

Today's poolside reading:

The Newer Ovintiv Sorenson Federal Wells In Sand Creek Are Starting To Report -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44400B.

The wells are tracked here. 

A typical result:

• 38745, producing, F/A, Ovintiv, Sorenson Federal 153-96-9-4-12H, Sand Creek, 49,504 bbls over 23 days extrapolates to 64,570 bbls over 30 days:
  
• frack data: stimulated: 12/14/2022
• formation: Three Forks, first bench
  
• stages; 29
• volume: 162,012 bbls, 6.8 million bbls (small frack); lbs proppant not reported
  

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	2-2023	23	49504	49096	23242	95939	88751	6997

Clearing Out The In-Box -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44399B. 

Poolside:

• 77°F now -- 10:34 a.m.
• a bit breezy
• bright, bright sunshine

Tesla: it's getting hard to make sure when it's new and when it's old news, but I believe this is another price cut, making it the sixth price cut in the past six monthjs --

Alaska: how some saw this news being reported yesterday -- link here:

The Biden administration on Thursday, April 13, 2023, approved exports of liquefied natural gas from the Alaska liquefied natural gas project, a document showed, prompting criticism from environmental groups over the approval of another “carbon bomb.”

The US energy department approved Alaska Gasline Development Corp’s project to export LNG to countries with which the United States does not have a free trade agreement, mainly in Asia.

Backers of the roughly $39bn project expect it to be operational by 2030 if it receives the required permits.

The project, for which exports were first approved by the administration of Donald Trump, has been strongly opposed by environmental groups.

“Joe Biden’s climate presidency is flying off the rails,” said Lukas Ross of Friends of the Earth. Ross pointed out this was the second US approval of a “fossil-fuel mega-project” in as many months.

Reuters link. How I saw it: 

Bud trans: fascinating to watch this play out.

Schwab:

• not out of the woods yet
• it will be hardest on SCHW investors, probably mostly the employees
• Schwab clients, outside of SCHW holdings, will do just fine (if that makes sense)
• largest brokerage firms, March 9, 2023, The Ascent (Motley Fool).
• most exciting for military, active or retired: Schwab acquires USAA brokerage and USAA managed portfolio accounts; May 26, 2020 (old news; I was unaware until this past week); link here.

Sitio:

• link here, yesterday.
• long-term holding: not great
• past month: awesome
• pays: 9.2%

*******************************
Poolside Reading

Texas Girls High School Soccer -- State Championship Today -- 11:00 A.M. -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44398S.   

Updates

STATE CHAMPS!

Grapevine (Ft Worth), 1 - Frisco (Dallas), 0

After a long season, it came down to a penalty kick following a hand-ball.

Original Post

Final four played Thursday:

• San Antonio (2) vs Ft Worth (1)
• Austin (0) vs Dallas (1)

The high schools:

• Ft Worth: Grapevine
• San Antonio: Smithson Valley
• Dallas: Frisco
• Austin: Georgetown

Today, championship game:

• Grapevine vs Frisco, 11:00 a.m.

From yesterday's Ft Worth newspaper, front page of the sports section, above the fold, across all columns -- Grapevine rallies back to win!

It was questionable whether this team would advance from District. They did.

General consensus: this team would not advance out of Regionals. They did. By beating their "regionals' nemesis": Midlothian.

Not in a million years did we think they would win in the state semi-finals and advance to finals. They did. 

In a state this big, where it takes all day to drive from the southeast corner (McAllen) to the northwest corner (Amarillo) -- 10 hours 50 minutes -- and of the hundreds of 5A schools which Grapevine plays, it will end the season either first or second. Truly amazing.

Ironically, Olivia attends this school, not for soccer which she lives and breathes, but for the academics.

On another note, of all the "big" cities in Texas, San Antonio is the most vibrant, most exiting. #2? The DFW metroplex. 3rd? Probably Austin.

************************
Olivia's Other State Championship This Year

Olivia's Robotics Team also took first place at State this year.

Asia, India -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44397B.   

Apple: dominator. Link here. Best article in quite some time with regard to Apple smartphones. Comments say a lot about American consumers: most simply "don't get it."

• see also;
• see also:
• link:
  

India:

• Eighteen months ago, WSJ: India's population may implode. Link here.
• Today, WSJ: India's population surpasses that of China's. Link here.
• Peter Zeihan: February 27, 2023.
• google: The End of the World Is Just The Beginning

Week 15: April 9, 2023 -- April 15, 2023

Locator: 44396B. 

Best story of the week: granddaughter Olivia's high school girls soccer team won the state championship for the first time in the school's history, beating Frisco, TX, 1 - 0, on a penalty kick, midway through the second period.

Top story:

• Joe Biden is still president
• Zelenskyy does it his way
  

Top international non-energy story:

• Russian-Ukraine war continues
• Finland building up fortifications along Russian border now that Finland is part of NATO. 
• NATO country with longest Russian border? Finland.
  

Top international energy story: 

• 
  

Top national non-energy story:

• Bud trans
  

Top national energy story:

• WTI at $82
  

Focus on fracking: most recent edition.

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

• 
  

Top North Dakota energy story:

• 
  

Geoff Simon's top North Dakota energy stories:

• Quick connects.
  

Bakken economy:

Commentary:

Entertainment: