Locator: 47168TECH.
Coming up on almost 24 hours, folks are still reporting problems with Microsoft’s search engine, mostly on the west coast, from Los Angeles to San Francisco to Seattle.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Another $30 / Day For Some New Yorkers To Live In Their Own Home In Manhattan Regardless Of Garage? May 23, 2024
Locator: 47167NOTTEXAS.
Updates
June 5, 2024: this incredibly ill-conceived plan is "now on hold." The NY state governor said to "hold off" for now.
Original Post
The real pain for Jockers isn’t that the sensors are an eyesore, it’s that the couple will be clocked by them when they drive from their modest Columbus Circle apartment to their modest house in Montauk most weekends.
Since they live on the border of the toll perimeter, and park on the street on the Upper West Side, they could conceivably end up paying $15 in and $15 out.
While acknowledging it’s not quite as taxing as the fee will be for someone who lives in a rent-stabilized apartment within the zone and depends on their car for work (however, the MTA notes that households whose “adjusted gross income is under $60,000 may qualify for a tax credit in the amount of tolls paid”), Jockers maintains that it is “significant money” for the couple. Still, he says, driving uptown to pay one bridge toll to save on another makes little sense. He doesn’t think it will have any impact on the wealthier people going back and forth from the Hamptons either.
This may be a unique situation. I don't know. But to me, it's looks like some folks could be paying an additional $30 / day or nearly another $1,000 / month to simply park their car at home. And a couple, each with her / his own car that could rise to an extra $2,000 / month.
Political Story Of The Day -- US Supreme Court Reverses South Carolina Congressional District Ruling -- May 23, 2024
Locator: 47166POLITICS.
This is a very, very interesting ruling. I'm surprised, impressed. To me, it's amazing the extent to which gerrymandering is supported by the US Supreme Court. Regardless of reason for gerrymandering.
My wife sees the court as criminally conservative. She doesn't use those exact words. LOL.
I see the court as "divided" 3 - 3 - 3.
Intellectually worthy of the court, maybe 4 - 5. Four are intellectually worthy of the court; five are not. Possibly seven intellectually worthy, two not. Some might argue just the reverse.
Stagflation -- Jamie Dimon Blows It Off -- But You Have To Watch The Whole Video -- Otherwise You Get This -- May 23, 2024
Locator: 47164MISLEADING.
Jamie Dimon: talking like a banker but maybe not as bad as the headline suggests. But still, talking like a banker.
Jamie Dimon blows off risk of stagflation; not worried a bit about stagflation but based on this headline one would never know it. One needs to see the audio/video of the Jamie Dimon interview.
Investopedia: stagflation.
Jobs -- May 23, 2024
Locator: 47163JOBS.
Is Bing still down? Yup, getting worse. But its ChatGPT is doing great. If one can get to it. I guess. I really don't know. Don't care.
Jobs: tight job market;
- new figures suggest tight jobs market has not gotten better -- still tight (previous number revised downward, in the wrong way). However, one analyst disagrees -- suggests that job loss in 3Q23 was huge and rare event in current economy; says this is seen only in recessions -- but again, that was in 3Q23, and the item was posted seven hours ago -- strange).
- largest job market: California? fast food industry hit by $20 / hour minimum -- and yet tight jobs market at least in the aggregate -- no idea how California is doing
From Liz: look at that -- greatest decreases in initial jobless claims in .... drum roll ... California -- wasn't the new $20 / hour minimum wage supposed to kill jobs? What happened in Texas?
RINO: Carl Q --
Weekly EIA Report And Gasoline Demand -- May 23, 2024
Locator: 47162B.
Is Bing down? Yes, and not getting better. Link here. But Bing's AI is awesome -- apparently -- wouldn't know.
Coolidge, AZ: new $1 billion solar project. JPMorgan will provide about $700 million. New rules favor JPMorgan. Basically, huge corporations make huge amount of money (and tax liability) can sell "tax credits" to other companies. Two-thirds of the power from this new renewable project will go to power a neighboring mega-data center being built.
Prices the pump dropping: Carl Q -- depends how one measures it -- LOL --
Headline of the day: gasoline prices ahead of Memorial day are 1% higher
- out-of-town family members (Kentucky, California) have given up on any hope of price improvement;
- generally incredibly depressed over gasoline prices; $5.50 in California (Huntington Beach area) and Kentucky (Louisville area, $3.80).
From oilprice.com this morning:
EIA weekly petroleum report. Link here.
- crude oil in storage: 3% below five-year-average -- and that 5-year average includes storage during Covid years
- refiners at 91.7% capacity
- jet fuel supplied: 3.6% greater than last year at this time
Gasoline demand, link here. Wow, wow, wow -- did not expect this. Driving season has begun. This will be interesting to follow:
A Lot Going On At The Moment -- May 23, 2024
Locator: 47161B.
Is Bing down? It sure is and it's getting worse. Link here.
- social media: folks were amazed to find that DuckDuckGo uses Bing -- Microsoft is among the worse when it comes to tracking internet users -- at least according to social media and yet DuckDuckGo uses Bing -- whatever.
Jim Cramer: first hour, CNBC
- the big story, of course: NVDA and the halo effect around all tech companies (one exception, will update later)
- it's quite a story -- and a lot of analysts still don't seem to "get it" -- I have questions, also
- what was NVDA's p/e prior to earnings announcement? What is it now?
- and some analysts still say NVDA is too pricey -- whatever
- higher for longer; Dow drops 220 points after new numbers reported
- business activity hitting new records
- house sales come in worse than expected, and revision revised down (in worse direction)
- house prices up 4% y/y
- worst performers on the Dow: INTC, DIS, and BA
- dynamic; this was true at market opening; as day goes on the numbers will change
- jobs: tight job market;
- new figures suggest tight jobs market has not gotten better -- still tight (previous number revised downward, in the wrong way). However, one analyst disagrees -- suggests that job loss in 3Q23 was huge and rare event in current economy; says this is seen only in recessions -- but again, that was in 3Q23, and the item was posted seven hours ago -- strange).
- largest job market: California? fast food industry hit by $20 / hour minimum -- and yet tight jobs market at least in the aggregate -- no idea how California is doing
- headline of the day: gasoline prices ahead of Memorial day are 1% higher
- out-of-town family members (Kentucky, California) have given up on any hope of price improvement;
- generally incredibly depressed over gasoline prices; $5.50 in California (Huntington Beach area) and Kentucky (Louisville area, $3.80).
- Texas story of the day: Subaru
************************************
Back to the Bakken
WTI: $78.11. Increased overnight, after Biden administration announces it will release one million bbls (?) gasoline in the northeast to keep prices down going into the driving season. This suggests to analysts that Biden administration knows oil / gasoline demand is going to be a challenge this summer..
Friday, May 24, 2024: 34 for the month; 98 for the quarter, 297 for the year
None.
None.
RBN Energy: Deepwater Port could bolster Houston's status as oil hub. Archived.
The Houston crude oil hub has become busier over the last few months, and if one or more proposals to build a deepwater export terminal nearby capable of fully loading a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) cross the finish line, it could become the hub supplying them. That could push Permian Basin oil flows on Houston-bound pipelines higher at the expense of flows to Nederland and Corpus Christi. In today’s RBN blog, the third in a series, we will examine the latest Permian oil flows to Houston and how that could change if and when a deepwater project comes online.
Cramer, First Hour CNBC -- Three Poorest Performers On The Dow Today -- At The Opening - May 23, 2024
Locator: 47160TECH.
No surprises here: worst performers on the Dow: INTC, DIS, and BA (note: this was from Cramer, first hour CNBC a few minutes ago; this is a dynamic story -- by the time this gets posted, things may have changed):
- we all know the BA story;
- I looked at "streaming wars" overnight and wondered why DIS was holding up; and, then, of course:
- INTC, below.
Three major "chips": CPUs, GPUs, and memory.
Qualcomm and Qualcomm Snapdragon modems.
DuckDuckDown -- Microsoft Search Engine Bing Has Been Down Since 3:00 A.M. — Mostly Affecting Europe, Asia — I Can’t Reach It Here.In North Texas —May 23, 2024
Locator: 47159TECH.
Updates
Later, 8:49 a.m. CDT. Getting worse.
Original Post
DuckDuckGo uses Bing, also down. At least you’re not being tracked. LOL.
Bing: too big to fail.