Friday, February 16, 2024

Week 7: February 12, 2024 -- February 18, 2024

Locator: 46834TOPSTORIES. 

Top, top story

  • US economy on fire; 
    • the US stock market continues to hit new highs;
    • mixed signals whether inflation coming down
    • tea leaves suggest Fed won't cut this year

Top story

  • Trump invites Russia to attack NATO allies in financial arrears 
  • regional "wars" everywhere: Gaza, Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Ukraine
    • all are in somewhat of a "steady state" situation
    • although Mideast heating up

Top international non-energy story:

  • Israel getting ready to clear out last "urban area" -- no signs of letting up
    • Rafah
    • mixed messages from global community
  • global shipping still avoids the Red Sea (Suez Canal)

Top international energy story:



Top national non-energy story:

  • First big fraud case goes against Trump

Top national energy story:

Focus on fracking: link here.

Top North Dakota non-energy story:

Top North Dakota energy story:

  • natural gas production hits all-time record;
Geoff Simon's quick connects: link here.

The MLB's Pitcher's Pad -- Heart Butte

Locator: 46833B. 

Eight new permits, #40524 - #40531, inclusive:

  • Operator: Enerplus
  • Field: Heart Butte (Dunn County)
  • Comments:
    • Enerplus, which could be acquired by Devon, has permits for eight "MLB" wells, SESW 19-149-92; Closer, Southpaw, Bullpen, Juiced, Dinger, Curve, Lumber, and Deuce; 
      • the wells to be sited 405 FSL and between 1964 FWL and 2335 FWL;

 The map:

A Well Of Interest; An Old Well With A Jump In Production -- February 16, 2024

Locator: 46832B.

See this post.

The well of interest:

  • 17635, 740, BR, George 1-18H, Pershing, t3/09; cum 227K 12/23; recent production:
PoolDateDaysBBLS OilRunsBBLS WaterMCF ProdMCF SoldVent/Flare
BAKKEN12-20232438993936431963885151936
BAKKEN11-202317604018968120
BAKKEN10-20230000000
BAKKEN9-202316104231834992926
BAKKEN8-2023315447411021460104329
BAKKEN7-2023316594571661769134437
BAKKEN6-2023307547272391890147341
BAKKEN5-20233187011352761998156446
BAKKEN4-2023301123747318129286254
BAKKEN3-202313300369859941422

The map:

Enerplus With Eight New Permits -- February 16, 2024

Locator: 46831B.

Link here. The Atlanta Fed president practically said this on live television today during an interview on CNBC:

Tucker Carlson, doofus: link here. 


Meanwhile, the buzz in NYC, link here. Carl Q retweeted this, $364 million judgement and severe additional penalties. The judge's comments: was he talking about Bernie Madoff? Generally, while on appeal, the financial penalty must be held in escrow -- real cash. At least Trump donors know where their money is going now.

Whisper numbers: XOM, CVX -- link here.

Oil - natural gas ratio

*********************************
Back to the Bakken

Natural gas production, Bakken: hits a new, all-time high. Can you imagine what's happening in natural gas fields.

Active rigs; 39.

WTI: holy mackerel! Are folks paying attention?  WTI up 1.5% today; up $1.16; closed at $79.19.

  • For the well below: the wellhead, the value of just the crude oil at $79.19 for single month:
    • 108,340 bbls * $79.19 / bbl = $8.579 million


Eight new permits, #40524 - #40531, inclusive:

  • Operator: Enerplus
  • Field: Heart Butte (Dunn County)
  • Comments:
    • Enerplus, which could be acquired by Devon, has permits for eight "MLB pitcher" wells, SESW 19-149-92; Closer, Southpaw, Bullpen, Juiced, Dinger, Curve, Lumber, and Deuce; 
      • the wells to be sited 405 FSL and between 1964 FWL and 2335 FWL;

Five permits renewed:

  • Liberty Resources (3): three Tucson permits in Mountrail County
  • Lime Rock (2): a Schneider permit, Fayette, Dunn; and, a Garfield permit, Stanley, Mountrail.

One producing well (a DUC) reported as completed:

  • 36778, 480, BR, Bailey-George 1A TFH-ULW

What Basins Have The Best EURs? February 16, 2024

Locator: 46830W.

Which basins have the best EURs? Link here.


 

Absolutely scary
:

Fed Rate Talk

Locator: 46836INV.

For investors.

February 16, 2024: no cuts in 2024.

Nice Uptick In GDP Now 1Q24 Estimate -- February 16, 2024

Locator: 46835ECON.

Link here.

Absolutely scary:

WTI Has Turned Green -- 10:26 A.M..CT -- February 16, 2024

Locator: 46834WTI.

WTI: trading at $78.21 going into the weekend, which makes no sense with all the headwinds.

SNOW

SMCI -- February 16, 2024

Locator: 46833TECH.

Some folks are reading 10-Ks. Some folks are reading Barron's. Some folks are reading both. Some folks aren't reading at all.

In the last two days, Tuesday through Thursday, SMCI went from $794 to $1,042.

From Barron's

The ticker:

***************************
Meanwhile, Non-Tech

The next $1-trillion company?

****************
Personal Investing

Added to position today: COP. Since energy has been removed from my buckets (long-term/investments), this is strictly a short-term trade. I am always fully invested and "park" cash in equities pending a long-term investment.

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. 

All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 

Again, all my posts are done quickly. There will be typographical and content errors in all my posts. If any of my posts are important to you, go to the source.

Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market

TGIF -- A Gaggle Of Wells Coming Off Confidential List; The Market? Higher For Longer -- February 16, 2024

Locator: 46833ECON.

Wow, another beautiful day in north Texas, although it will be cooler over the weekend.

We have a four-day weekend, so we'll be going down to San Antonio, simply for a road trip.

The gap widens between investors and savers, link here

PPI: I see PPI came in "higher than expected." LOL. As with the CPI, it did not come in higher than expected, it "came in higher than hoped." LOL.

  • higher for longer;
  • the gap widens between the well-off and the middle class
  • the gap widens between the homeowners and the home buyers
  • the gap widens between investors and savers, but at least savers are getting a bit more for their money
  • the gap widens between Wall Street and Main Street
  • the gap widens between Main Street and Oak Street
  • the gap rises between those who can raise their prices and those who cannot.

Another buying opportunity, although that may not last. The Dow is only down only 89 points and well off its lows. 

PPI: definition and explanation at this link. Bottom line:

  • CPI: retail inflation; the inflation you and I see
  • PPI: wholesale inflation: the inflation the Heinz CEO sees, and which he said he won't pass on to consumer (wink, wink)

Yesterday I wrote:


 Before that, on December 22, 2024:

My theme continues to be: Warren Buffett has set the S&P 500 as the bar against which he is to be "rated / judged." The S&P 500 -- are you kidding me? That's "simply the market."  That's why I keep posting "comparison" charts.

Well, someone -- and that someone is a very, very credible analyst, has just written about the same thing. Link here

Fed: Atlanta Fed president interview on CNBC at 10:04 a..m. -- he telegraphed as clearly as he could: "I don't see any rate cuts in 2024." In fact, I think he almost slipped and almost said that: "no rate cuts in 2024." The question is not "when will you start cutting" but will you cut in 2024? 

The "old" word with regard to inflation was "transitory." No more. If inflation is defined a > 2.0%.
The "new" word is "immediately."
As in a direct quote: "I don't see cutting rates immediately." 
The Fed has clearly stated they won't see "2%" this year -- and so "immediately" means one year.
The Atlanta Fed president said we're not cutting rates immediately, which means no rate cuts this year, though publicly he says he expects two rate cuts this year (50 basis points; the Fed dot plot shows three rate cuts, so the Atlanta Fed president sees much less urgency than the Fed in general
He didn't say it, but the real question is why do we need a rate cut at all?

Meanwhile, the stock market doesn't care, link here:

Lilly: some analysts now suggest this weight-loss drug company could join the "mile-high club."

Doofus of the week: Tucker Carlson.

Russia cash, link here

************************************
Back to the Bakken

WTI:

Tuesday, February 20, 2024: 50 for the month; 109 for the quarter, 109 for the year
39994, conf, CLR, Ransom 11-30H2,

Monday, February 19, 2024: 49 for the month; 108 for the quarter, 108 for the year
39993, conf, CLR, Ransom 10-30H

Sunday, February 18, 2024: 48 for the month; 107 for the quarter, 107 for the year
39619, conf, Whiting, DE YK Federal 12-33H
39618, conf, Whiting, DE YK Federal  12-33-2TFH,
39069, conf, Whiting, Safely Federal 32-7-2H,
39068, conf, Whiting, Safely Federal 32-7H
38303, conf, Whiting, Bigfoot LE 23-11 9H,
37705, conf, SOGC (Sinclair), Bighorn 3-6H,

Saturday, February 17, 2024: 42 for the month; 101 for the quarter, 101 for the year
39992, conf, CLR, Omlid 13-19H,

Friday, February 16, 2024: 41 for the month; 100 for the quarter, 100 for the year
39115, conf, Hess, EN-Hegland-LW-155-94-0508H-1, 

RBN Energy: who are the winners and losers with Biden's LNG permitting pause? The short answer? Russia and Iran. Terrorists and murderers keep getting rewarded. At least that's my takeaway.

The Biden administration’s recently announced decision to pause further action on new LNG export permits for at least several months sent shockwaves through the industry and shook up expectations regarding which projects will be hurt by — or benefit from — the pause. As we’ll discuss in today’s RBN blog, the decision is likely to put a number of Gulf Coast LNG export projects (one of them a real giant) in limbo, set back a Mexican project that would depend on Permian and Eagle Ford gas, and boost a couple of projects up in Canada. Oh, and there’s this: The pause also may help two avowed enemies of the U.S.: Russia and Iran.

At Least The Moscow Streets Are Clean And Safe — February 16, 2024

Locator: 46832PUTIN.

Alexei Navalny, age 47, has died in prison. But at least the Moscow streets are clean and safe.

Link here.

The timing of this news with the interview is most curious. 

Even Warren Buffett Is No Match For The S&P 500 — MarketWatch — Barron’s — February 16, 2024

Locator: 46831BRK.

Link here.

Berkshire Hathaway’s sheer size makes it much more difficult to find companies that make a difference to its bottom line. Berkshire Hathaway stock over the past 20 years has almost precisely equaled the return of the S&P 500 SPX. 

Let that sink in for a minute. 

Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO, Warren Buffett, widely considered to be the most successful investor alive today, has merely matched the market’s return over the past two decades. 

The fundamental question this raises for investors is how long we should give a manager the benefit of the doubt when failing to beat the market. 

All of us can readily agree that even the best advisers will suffer short-term periods of market-lagging returns. But as this period of underperformance lengthens, it becomes increasingly difficult to write it off as a fluke. 

We can all hope that Buffett chooses to address this question in his much-anticipated shareholder letter, which is expected to be released in conjunction with Berkshire Hathaway’s earnings report later this month. A telephone call to Berkshire Hathaway seeking comment was not immediately returned.