CVX -- Chevron -- Update -- March 22, 2025

Locator: 48555CVX.

Link here. Posted yesterday, Friday after the close, at SeekingAlpha.

Chevron shares snaps six straight sessions of gains, as the stock closed 0.33% lower at $164.22 on Friday.

The oil giant gained over 7% in the preceding six sessions. The stock has gained more than 13.5% so far this year, compared to nearly 4% decline in the broader S&P 500 Index.

CVX is up 3.26% over the past one month. The stock closed 0.44% higher on Thursday at $164.77. 

The Trump administration is poised to extend Chevron's deadline to halt its Venezuela operations for at least another 30 days, Bloomberg reported Thursday. CEO Mike Wirth asked for a possible extension during a meeting Wednesday with President Trump and other oil executives at the White House, where Trump expressed openness to the idea, according to the report.

What could possibly convince Trump to change his mind about Venezuela / Chevron?

It's simple.If Chevron has to give up its Venezuelan assets, Venezuela will simply let China take Chevron's place. LOL. 

Of course, this all begs a concerning question. What happens if Venezuela doesn't want to take CVX back?

By the way, how is OXY doing?

• down almost 4% YTD -- matching the S&P; but down an astounding ...
• 25% in the past full year.

And even so, pays half what CVX pays.

And with a P/E of 21, OXY could continue falling a bit more.

Saudi, UAE To Invest Hugely In The US -- March 22, 2025

Locator: 48554GOUSA.

Today: link here. $1.4 trillion from .... one ... country. Usually such commitments are front loaded or at least announced early.

From Forbes:

The United Arab Emirates will invest $1.4 trillion in the U.S. economy over the next 10 years after a meeting between President Donald Trump and an Emirati official earlier this week, according to multiple reports on Friday, following years of growing ties between the Emirates, Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

 Key notes:

An anonymous White House official told Reuters the investment deal will “substantially increase” the UAE’s existing investments in the U.S., while Bloomberg, citing a White House statement, reported the investments included funding for AI infrastructure, semiconductors and U.S.-based manufacturers.

The deal was reached after Trump announced in January that Emirati billionaire Hussain Sajwani—a prominent figure during Trump’s first presidential term—would invest $20 billion to build data centers across the U.S., though Sajwani said he hoped to invest “even more” if the opportunity “[allows] us.”

An agreement was reached after a meeting on Tuesday between Trump and Sheikh Tanoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan—UAE’s national security adviser—and a dinner between Vice President JD Vance, other Trump administration officials and the UAE delegation, which included heads of UAE-based sovereign wealth funds and corporations.

Some of the companies—including the UAE investment fund ADQ—will also invest in U.S. assets like gas, chemicals and energy infrastructure.

*********************************
Saudi Arabia

Announced earlier this year:

**********************************
Iran

Continued sanctions on Iran and keeping Iran on a defensive position will help Saudi and UAE maintain their commitment to investing in the US.

Supporting the Houthis and focusing on war with Israel is the wrong side of history for Iran. But that is keeping the clerics in power.

****************************
A Trading Stock?

AppEconomy TSLA:

Ticker TSLA:

Tim Walz bottom? Link here.

Fake News -- Elon Musk -- Getting Top-Secret Briefing On US Military Plans Re: China -- March 22, 2025

Locator: 48553FAKENEWS.

The original story on this subject published by The NY Times. Fake news?

Yes, fiake story.

Elon Musk is visiting the Pentagon this week. No classified briefing on US military response to China. Source. 

*****************************
Speaking Of Defense

Lots of money and DOGE hasn't done much about it yet ... needs to be fact-checked but Bill Maher (at https://www.foxnews.com/media/bill-maher-calls-out-elon-musk-doge-not-taking-chainsaw-defense-spending) notes:

• DOD has cut $580 million from its $900 billion budget (= 0.0006 = 0.06% -- but I often make simple arithmetic errors);
• boondoggle: F-35 program;
• why are we still focused on fighters when it's the age of drones?
• now, we're going to launch a new fighter program, the F-47?

***************************
Houthi Update -- US To Double The Number of A/C Carriers In The Red Sea
For Perhaps Another Full Month

For a short period of time, the US will station two a/c carriers in the Red Sea. The USS Truman will extend its time in the Red Sea for an additional month, to the end of April, or thereabouts -- needs to be fact-checked -- and the USS Vinson, now in the Pacific will extend its time at sea by an additional three months -- in the Red Sea before heading home.

This is being reported by The Times Of Israel.  

From Military.com, Thursday, March 20, 2025, two days ago:

U.S. military strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels continued into their sixth day on Thursday, as the Pentagon and Trump administration had yet to fully explain what prompted the resumption of operations against the Iranian-backed rebel group after months of relative quiet in the Red Sea.

Officials said the new round of strikes in Yemen may last for weeks and that they are now less worried about casualties.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday claimed the renewed military operation is necessary due to attacks on Navy ships and shipping, telling Maria Bartiromo on Fox News that "ships haven't been able to go through for over a year without being shot at."

*******************************
Stranded Astronauts Brought Back Safely To Earth This Past Week

Biggest space story in quite some time. Perhaps biggest human interest story so far this year.

Ignored by the mainstream press.

Covered in detail by YouTube.

***************************
Victor Davis Hanson

Warning: politics. Far right. Click on link at own risk. Not responsible for seizures or other neurological events. 

Link here.

*********************************
The Four Books This Weekend

Reading these books the past few months. I'm more than halfway through all four books:

Part of the Bible series:

• Stories From Ancient Canaan, Second Edition, Michael D. Coogan, c. March 15, 2012. Link here.

Part of US economy series:

• The Man Who Made The Movies: The Meteoric Rise And Tragic Fall Of William Fox, Vanda Krefft, c. 2017. William Fox: 1879 - 1952.
  
• The Chief: The Life Of William Randolph Hearst, David Nasaw, c. 2000. William Randolph Hearst, 1863 - 1951.
  

Part of the literature series:

• Two Lives: Gertrude and Alice, Janet Malcolm
• Gertrude Stein: 1874 - 1946
• Alice B. Toklas: 1877 - 1967
  

Contemporaries:

• William Randolph Hearst: publisher; movies, Hollywood
• William Fox: movies, Hollywood

March Madness -- Round 2 -- Harvard Madness -- March 22, 2025

Locator: 48552SPORTS.

In round one:

• left side: 4 / 8 games correct
• right side: 5/8 games correct

Round two: 32 teams = 16 games

• 8 games today, all day long, none overlap completely; two Texas teams today
• 8 games tomorrow, all day long, none overlap completely
• big games both days, but it appears, of the two days, today will be the most exciting

Link here. Projections:

**************************
Harvard Madness

Harvard introduces "remedial math" -- 8th grade algebra -- for incoming Harvard students. Unlike almost all other Harvard courses, the class meets every day and is "alongside" the standard first-year math course. 

Harvard is among the top five of the most select schools in the country.  

The math debacle is blamed on the one-to-two-year Covid lock down. 

Link here.

Harvard tries to sugar coat the issue. Link here.

The Times of India -- laughing at us? Link here.

Why are the India media producing some of the best American news? It comes up again.

What's Wrong With This Article? March 22, 2025

Locator: 48551WATER.

Link here. 

I heard a snippet of this story earlier today.

So, I fact-checked that snippet.

See if you can find the "error" in this story.

Answer here.

Google: did the US ratify the 1944 water sharing treaty.