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Monday, May 27, 2024

Pipelines: Best Performing Segment Of Energy This Past Month — May 27, 2024

Locator: 47965PIPELINES.

Link here.

Pipeline stocks have been the best-performing segment of the energy industry in the past month, outperforming oil producers, refiners, and even big players such as Exxon Mobil.

One reason appears to be the rise of artificial intelligence, and the need for natural gas to power the data centers that run AI programs. Pipelines that transmit that gas are in a good position to benefit. Some analysts and investors think it’s a theme that will lift the stocks for longer. 

Shares of leading natural-gas-pipeline company Kinder Morgan are on a 13-day winning streak, their longest on record, and could extend the streak after rising 0.2% in early trading on Tuesday. The stock has risen 9.1% in that time period, and is up 13% this year. Other pipeline operators have seen similar strong performance recently, following first-quarter results. Williams stock is up 7.8% in the past month, while Enbridge shares are up 4.2%, and Oneok stock is up 4.1%. Refiners and oil-producer stocks are down on average over the past month. 

On their latest earnings calls, all those pipeline companies spoke about the rising electricity demand from data centers that process AI applications. Before last month, the term “data center” had seldom been uttered by pipeline executives on earnings calls, according to data company AlphaSense.

Stephen R. Covey's Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People -- May 27, 2024

Locator: 47964INV.
Tag: Stephen Covey.

Long, long story. 

Too late to proceed with the background tonight. Maybe another time.

I took "the course" decades ago. Subconsciously I must have learned something, but my mind was not prepared at the time "to fully engage."

But, sometime over this past weekend, while putting together "life's lessons learned" (again) I suddenly remembered Covey, mostly because my wife and I were stumped how to approach an extended family member with anxieties that have been a constant in his/her life. 

So, the link for now, and maybe I'll come back to this later. 

The link.

The reason it came up tonight: I just realized that the seven habits can also help investors be better investors. 

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Saving the Link

Might come up again, later. Released May 9, 2014.

Link here.

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A Musical Interlude

Link here.

This really is a very, very good production. It was posted on YouTube just six months ago, November, 2023. 

When I see things like this it suggests to me that legacy content providers (like the BBC) are scouring their archives looking for "stuff" they can re-package. This is a 47-minute video of the best (I would assume) that the BBC has of Blondie, and among the legacy three-letter content providers, no one did music better than the BBC. Having spent years in England watching and listening to the BBC I think I have a pretty good perspective.

Americans Retirement Savings Rate Hits An All-Time Record -- May 27, 2024

Locator: 47963ECON.

Retirement savings rate .... all-time (?) record .... stagflation. LOL.

Link here

From the linked article:

Americans are contributing a record share of their earnings toward retirement savings, according to Fidelity.

The total average 401(k) savings rate reached a record 14.2% in the first quarter of 2024, according to Fidelity Investments’ retirement analysis that covers the company’s 25,800 corporate retirement plans and 23.9 million participants. That includes a 9.4% employee contribution plus a 4.8% employer contribution. Those two levels match previous records, which hadn’t been [previously] achieved at the same time, says Mike Shamrell, vice president of thought leadership for Fidelity Workplace Investing.

The total 14.2% contribution level is just shy of Fidelity’s recommended savings rate of 15% between worker and employer contributions and is up from 13.9% for much of last year.

“We like to see it continue to inch toward that 15%, which will put people on a great track to reach their retirement goals,” Shamrell says.

Healthy contribution levels and strong market returns helped push Fidelity’s average 401(k) balance to $125,900 in the first quarter of this year, the highest levels since the end of 2021.

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Re-Posting -- Continuing The Theme

Locator: 47124ECON.

And the Michigan Consumer Index folks are unhappy, depressed, worried, pessimistic

This speaks volumes of "talking about one thing, experiencing something else." 

Link here

But there's more, from Carl Q and Yardeni:

Those complaining most about the economy (? -- needs to be fact-checked) saw an increase in their household wealth to the tune of $114 trillion by end of last year -- 2023 -- nearly 70% of all households' wealth.

It gets tedious separating memes from the facts. 

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The Source

Link here.

Some observations:

  • I don't like graphs like this. It's hard to tell which of the four cohorts add the greatest growth. One has to look at each cohort separately and closely:
  • if one overlays the Dow (stock market) over this graphic, the story becomes interesting; by cohort:
    • first, those under forty: as a percent, the dark blue band increases very, very little over the last thirty years (2023 - 30 = 1993)
      • thirty years ago, these folks were ten years old and have not been able to save / invest much money between the ages of 10 and 40
    • then, those between the ages of 40 and 54: not much better until the last three years -- under Biden -- and then, not by much
    • look at the third cohort, ages 55 to 69 -- compare the width of that light blue band in 1990 to 2023 -- astounding; absolutely astounding. Roughly $5 trillion in 1990 (?) to $70 trillion in 2023;
  • finally, the fourth cohort, those over 70 years old: from almost nothing (maybe $3 trillion in 1990) to about $48 trillion in 2023.
  • Demographics:
    • between ages 40 to 69, each year of age, about 0.60% of the US population
    • then age 70: 0.54%, female; 0.48%, male;
    • then age 75: 0.45%, female; 0.38%, male;
    • then age 80: 0.30%, female; 0.24%, male;
    • then age 85: 0.17%, female; 0.12%, male.
  • Those over 70, are proportionally much better off than the 40 to 69 year olds, the second and third cohorts combined, but even much better off than the 55 to 69, the third cohort. 
  • The third cohort has the most trillions (1990 to 2023) but they are also a huge cohort in terms of number of folks between the ages of 55 and 69.

Link here.

As noted earlier, placing the Dow (stock market) over this graphic explains a lot.

But there's even something else, which I've talked about many times.

Thirty years of investing with tax-free accounts: those now 69 years old were 39 years old. 

Thirty years ago (2023 - 30 = 1993). What happened -- or better said, what was happening in 1993? 

Previously posted:

January 22, 2023

Key dates to remember with regard to IRAs:

  • 1970
  • 1981
  • 1997

When did IRAs truly start to impact the economy? I would argue, 1995, to some extent, but then took off in 2007:

  • 1970: traditional IRA introduced
  • 1980: folks became comfortable with IRAs
  • 1997: IRAs improved significantly with the introduction of Roth IRAs
  • 2007: another ten years of traditional IRA / Roth IRA growth in popularity

Now, look at this graph:

 Same chart with markers and comments:

What was happening in 1993? In 1970 the traditional IRA was introduced. By 1985, the traditional IRA was beginning to make an impact. But then in 1997, although it didn't matter much at the time, Congress made the IRA even better by introducing the Roth IRA. Ten years later, 2007, the stock market began to take off, and all that money being invested in the market was growing tax-free

There's going to be a bit of a bow wave effect as folks start taking RMDs but by the early 2000s, folks finally figured it out that the Roth IRA was the way to go. The net worth of those who figured that out -- the value of the Roth IRA vs the traditional IRA -- will result in the third cohort -- the light blue cohort growing even more than the fourth cohort most of whom had much less time to start investing in IRAs, traditional or Roth.

Congress will continue to make the IRAs even better. Most recently they moved the age of first RMDs to age 73; and to age 75 starting in 2033 for many of those (but not all) that have traditional IRAs. It is likely that Congress will add more incentives to encourage saving for retirement.

Transformers - May 27, 2024

Locator: 47962ETSC.

Tag: transformers.

Link here.


 PSA:

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The Lego Page

Just the links:

Cognitive Dissonance -- May 27, 2024

Locator: 47196INV.
Locator: 47196ECON.
Tag: oil demand to grow.

Thought-provoking: prudence-signaling vs realism-acknowledging. I've spent much of Memorial Day weekend "studying" this. Very, very interesting. Many CNBC talking heads seem to be masters of "prudence-signaling." 

Oil is back! Link here.  Stagflation? LOL.

AAA is expecting a two-decade record high number of travelers flying for Memorial Day weekend, further supported by global crude oil consumption that analysts at JPMorgan Chase said on Friday would soar by 2.8 million barrels a day from May through August.
[To put this in perspective, 2.8 million bopd about equals "three Bakkens."]
The analysts also predicted an increase of 430,000 barrels per day in jet fuel demand during that same time period.
Bloomberg NEF is projecting that flying passengers will continue to increase in number in the coming weeks, with jet fuel demand already at its highest seasonally since 2019.
“We see jet as our fastest-growing fuel globally,” Bloomberg cited Wood Mackenzie analyst Austin Lin as saying on Monday, adding that we could see U.S. jet fuel demand increase another 5% this year amid strong American consumer spending.
At the same time, gasoline demand is rather duller by comparison, up this week but still hovering around two-year seasonal lows, according to JPMorgan, which sees global demand for gasoline declining next year by around 100,000 bpd.
US screens record 2.95 million airline passengers in single day. All-time record, any day of the year.

Oil is back! Goldman Sachs agrees -- oil demand to grow until 2034. Repeat: will continue to grow through the next ten years. Link here to Charles Kennedy.

Futures: Monday night, Memorial Day, 2024: 

Rally: Wall Street is getting even more bullish on stocks.

Trending: over at TipRanks, analyst top stocks screener:

  • AMD, potential upside of 14%, Wells Fargo;
  • AZO, UBS analyst; reiterated Buy rating
  • AMZN, target, $225, from TD Cowen
  • others: DAL, TOL, UNH

WTI: up 1.02% Monday night, Memorial Day, 2024, trading at $78.51. 

Gasoline prices, link here:

Economy

Inflation, link here.

Link here

Update: WPX Alfred Old Dog Pad -- May 27, 2024

Locator: 47195B.

The wells:

  • 26145, 1,163, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 19-18HB, Reunion Bay, t4/14; cum 479K 3/24;
  • 26146, 1,223, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 19-18HY, Reunion Bay, t4/14; cum 391K 3/24;
  • 26147, 1,681, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 19-18HC, Reunion Bay, t4/14; cum 513K 3/24;
  • 26148, 556, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 30-31 HY, Reunion Bay, t6/14; cum 391K 3/24;
  • 26149, 990, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 30-31 HC, Reunion Bay, t7/14; cum 428K 3/24;
  • 26152, 968, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 30-31 HD, Reunion Bay, t8/14; cum 350K 3/24;
  • 26151, 1,146, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 30-31 HZ, Reunion Bay, t6/14; cum 340K 3/24;
  • 26153, 1,531, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 19-18HZ, Reunion Bay, t10/14; cum 397K 3/24;
  • 26154, 1,842, WPX, Alfred Old Dog 19-18HD, Reunion Bay, t9/14; cum 540K 3/24;

The maps:


 



Update: EOG Involved With Trinidad's Oil And Gas Sector -- May 27, 2024

Locator: 47194B.

From Reuter's today.

Trinidad and Tobago received six bids from BP, Shell, and US shale producer EOG Resources on four blocks to explore for oil and gas as its 2023 shallow water auction closed on Monday, May 27, 2024.

Trinidad plans to announce the winners in four months, Energy Minister Stuart Young said at the closing of the auction. All three companies bid for the Modified UC block, which is close to the Teak, Sammaan, Poui producing fields. The auction had no other bidders.

For investors: very, very interesting.

And don't forget, Chord (merger of Whiting and Oasis) is now looking to buy Enerplus

From sometime ago:

Reminder:

Link here.

So, this is what we have:

  • Trinidad and Tobago: Shell.
  • Surinam: Apache and TTE.
  • Guyana: XOM.
  • Venezuela: CVX.

A reader alerted me to a Charles Kennedy article on Guyana today.  

I had forgotten that Hess partnered with XOM on Guyana.

Now we watch for Shell and and CVX bidding for Guyana; both have experience in this geographic area.

Guyana is tracked here at the sidebar at the right. That site needs to be updated.

 

Update Enerplus' Pitcher's Pad -- May 27, 2024

Locator: 47193B.

These wells are tracked here.

The wells:

  • 40524, drl/loc, Enerplus, Closer 149-92-19C-18H-LL, Heart Butte,
  • 40525, drl/loc, Enerplus, Southpaw 149-92-19C-18H, Heart Butte,
  • 40526, drl/loc, Enerplus, Bullpen 149-92-19C-18H, Heart Butte,
  • 22238, 878, Enerplus, Knuckle 149-92-19C-18H, Heart Butte, t7/12; cum 523K 3/24;
  • 40527, drl/loc, Enerplus, Juiced149-92-19C-18H, Heart Butte,
  • 40528, drl/loc, Enerplus, Dinger 49-92-19D-18H, Heart Butte,
  • 22239, PNC, Enerplus, Deuce 149-92-30B-31H TF, Heart Butte,
  • 40530, drl/loc, rig on site, Enerplus, Lumber 149-92-19D-18H, Heart Butte,
  • 22240, 603, Enerplus, Net 149-92-30B-3H, Heart Butte, t7/12; cum 389K 3/24;
  • 40531, drl/loc, Enerplus, Deuce149-92-19D-18H, Heart Butte, 

The maps:


 


Updating The Enerplus Honor Pad, Spotted Horn -- Memorial Day -- 2024

Locator: 47192B.

The Enerplus honor, grace, courage and pride wells are tracked here

Original Post: Honor, Grace, Courage, and Pride

Note

  • the producing wells on this 10-well pad are now all inactive while,
  • the newer wells are being drilled.
  • the newer wells now being drilled were all spud on consecutive days 
  • these wells will all trend toward 1 million boepd cumulative; adding in natural gas, add another 25% for boepd? so, 737K crude oil + 25% (for natural gas) =  737 *1.25 = 921,000 boepd (a gross approximation)?

Updated map and production.

  • 40409, drl/drl, Enerplus, Valiant 150-94-06B-LL, Spotted Horn, spud 1/18/24; npd,
  • 23541, IA/1,545, Enerplus, Honor 150-94-06B-18H TF, Spotted Horn, Three Forks, 59 stages; 14 million lbs sand, 1280 acres, t6/14; cum 705K 12/20; three-section lateral; t6/14; cum 737K 11/21; cum 788K 8/23;
  • 40438, drl/drl, Enerplus, Strength 150-94-06B-18H, Spotted Horn, spud 1/19/24; npd,
  • 40437, drl/drl, Enerplus, Icon 150-94-06B-18H, Spotted Horn, spud 1/21/24; npd,
  • 23542, IA/1,007, Enerplus, Grace 150-94-06B-07H, Spotted Horn, t2/13; cum 371K 12/20;TD -20,753 feet, two section lateral; cum 389K 11/21; cum 426K 11/23;
  • 40436, drl/drl, Enerplus, Prowess 150-94-06B-18H, Spotted Horn, spud 1/22/24; npd,
  • 26608, IA/1,601, Enerplus, Courage 150-94-06A-18H, Spotted Horn, t6/14; cum 655K 12/20; TD - 25,023 feet, three section lateral; 42K extrapolates to 54K over 30 days; cum 675K 11/21; cum 716K 11/23;
  • 40432, drl/drl, Enerplus, Fearless 150-94-06A-18H-LL, Spotted Horn, spud 1/25/24; npd,
  • 40434, drl/drl, Enerplus, Purpose 150-94-06A-18H, Spotted Horn, spud 1/24/24; npd,
  • 26609, IA/1,703, Enerplus Resources, Pride 150-94-06A-18H TF, t10/14; cum 564K 12/20; TD = 25,431 feet, three section lateral; cum 590K 11/21; cum 661K 9/23;

The maps: