Locator: 46858B.
Updates
March 19, 2024: Amazon has raised its price on the 2024 M3 MacBook Air, see below, ad Amazon is still out of stock. List price, $1,099. Amazon had it on sale for $999; now back to $1,049.
Gasoline demand, link here:
Later, 3: 42 p.m. CDT: WTI hits $83.05.
Later, 2:54 p.m. CDT: S&P hits another record close. See this post. See bullish economic data reported earlier today. Indices at close:
- Dow: 39,833, up slightly;
- S&P 500: 5,259, up slightly;
- NASDAQ: 16,394, down slightly;
- WTI; $82.97.
- AAPL: $171.95; down 3/4ths of a percent today;
- CVX: $157.94; up 1%;
Original Post
Economic numbers for February / March:
- Pending home sales: increased 1.6% vs a estimate of a 1.2% increase -- the Midwwest was the huge reason -- up almost 11%. Other three US regions flat to slightly higher.
- Consumer sentiment -- huge jump. Huge. 79.4 vs 76.5.
- Chicago PMI -- huge miss. Huge.
Apple / Amazon sale announced yesterday: already out of stock. Literally flying off the shelf. I’ve learned something about Apple’s strategy when it comes to Apple picking its price point. Free delivery and no state sales tax in Montana -- the price you see is the price you pay.
Professional investing: I’ve added AMZN to my tech sector bucket. No recommendation. See disclaimers. Tectonic change in my thinking. Why? Split —> price. Dow 30: what’s at risk? NIKE, CSCO, INTC —> best candidates to be replaced by AMZN.
1Q24:
EVs: Chinese will sell EV at a loss to undercut Tesla. Okay. Link here. So, now we know break-even price for rock-bottom EV: around $35K in the US. Probably more.
Daimler truck, link here.
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Back to the Bakken
WTI: $82.69.
Friday, March 29, 2024: 140 for the month; 199 for the quarter, 199 for the year
- 40114, conf, CLR, Lundberg Federal 8-8HSL1,
Thursday, March 28, 2024: 139 for the month; 198 for the quarter, 198 for the year
- 40113, conf, CLR, Lundberg Federal 7-8H,
- 39643, conf, Oasis, Streamsong 5502 11-17 3B,
RBN Energy: from Texas to the northeast, power grids prep for eclipse.
The uncertainties around solar power are well understood — when the sun
doesn’t shine as much as expected, power grids that rely heavily on that
generation must turn elsewhere to meet consumer demand. And while a
shortfall in solar generation can be challenging to navigate, the
difference between actual and forecast levels is typically only a few
percentage points and power grids are usually ready and able to make up
any difference. But what happens when the sun is largely obscured by the
moon for several hours across a wide swath of the country? In today’s
RBN blog, we’ll discuss the impact of the October 14 partial eclipse,
preview the path of the April 8 total eclipse, and outline the steps
being taken to ensure that power grids are ready for it.