Four New Permits -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49887B.

Venezuela oil: it's pretty clear that Venezuela won't be a major oil exporter in the near future. Link here. 

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

WTI: $65.21.

Active rigs: 27. 

Four new permits, #42676 - #42679, inclusive:

• Operators: Phoenix Operating (3); Silver Hill Energy
• Fields: Noonan (Divide County); Big Meadow (Williams County)
• Comments: 
• Silver Hill has a permit for an Iverson E well, NWNE 15-158-96; to be sited 374 FNL and 1706 FEL;
• Phoenix Operating has permits for three Noonan wells, SWSE 28-162-95, to be sited 825 FSL and 2010 / 2100 FEL. 

Alison Ritter's Top Stories -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49886B.

• State's November oil production 3.4% above revenue forecast -- Minot Daily News

• ND offering grant opportunities for city, county, school district energy upgrades -- KFYR-TV

• Halt in drilling by one of ND's largest producers expected to bring layoffs -- Dickinson Press

• Production bumped up in November; rigs, 'frac' crews down in January -- Bismarck Tribune

• Resolution to put eminent domain restrictions in the state constitution advances -- South Dakota Searchlight

• North Dakota natural gas becomes lifeline despite drilling pauses, looming storm -- McKenzie County Farmer

• Reported tank failure caused a produced water spill, about 2 miles northeast of Glenburn -- Minot Daily News

• MDU customers in North Dakota are about to see their bills rise nearly $10 per month -- Bismarck Tribune

• UND Economist: Continental's North Dakota oil pause shows companies following the money -- InForum

• North Dakota lawmakers may face hard budget decisions in the 2027 legislative session -- Prairie Public

• Six nominees advance to Armstrong for North Dakota Supreme Court vacancy -- North Dakota Monitor

• Failure to pass HOME Program among missed opportunities in first year, Armstrong says -- Dickinson Press

• North Dakota lawmakers to hire outside lawyers to defend state in term limits lawsuit -- North Dakota Monitor

• Commerce Dept will open additional funding for Destination Development Grant program -- Minot Daily News

• ND's Legislative Council says governor misstated stance on $1.3 million bonus authority -- Bismarck Tribune

• Emily O'Brien's first five months as HHS deputy commissioner have been busy, productive -- Dickinson Press

• Kevin Cramer: North Dakota to play a 'prominent role' in the golden dome defense system -- WZFG

• North Dakota lawmakers to visit St. Paul in solidarity over federal enforcement concerns -- InForum

• North Dakota Tax Commissioner Brian Kroshus has announced he will seek reelection -- Dickinson Press

• Data shows North Dakota outpaced national average in population growth in 2025 -- North Dakota Monitor

• Parshall residents can now buy produce from MHA Nation's Native Green Grow Greenhouse -- KFYR-TV

• Dickinson upgrades two new snowplows with Hi-Gates to reduce driveway snow buildup -- Dickinson Press

• Corey Johnson selected into 2026 Fire Service Executive Development Institute -- Williston Herald

• District 1 Rep. David Richter announces he will seek reelection to North Dakota House -- Williston Herald

• State invests over $450K through North Dakota Development Fund in child care loans -- Dickinson Press

• Corey Johnson seeking seat in ND House after bypassing party endorsement process -- Williston Herald

• Mercer County Commission unanimously approves resignation letter from Mark Pierce -- Hazen Star

• Produced water spill occurred at the Jellesed SWD 1 site, 6 miles east of Keene -- Minot Daily News

• Former congressman, state lawmaker Rick Berg appointed interim NDSU president -- North Dakota Monitor

• Superintendent continues tour of ND schools; Center-Stanton, Hazen ready -- The Center Republican

• How each North Dakota lawmaker voted on defeated universal free school lunches bill -- Dickinson Press

• North Dakota celebrates school choice week for first time after public charter schools authorized -- KFYR-TV

• Tioga students to have shorter winter break, longer spring break in upcoming school year -- Williston Herald

• The grid will hold - maybe - but the bill will rise because of how we now power it -- RealClearEnergy

• Rubio says oil companies were not tipped off about Venezuela operation, contradicting Trump -- The Hill

• Energy scoreboard between US and China is ugly right now, but game is far from over -- RealClearEnergy

• US shale production could fall by 400,000 barrels per day if prices dip to $40 a barrel, analyst says -- Reuters

• Thank heaven for coal power in the cold: energy source rode to deep freeze rescue -- Wall Street Journal

• 90% of SaskPower's generation came from natural gas and coal during the coldest days -- Pipeline Online

• Forecast record electricity demand to test largest US power grid while blackout chances rise -- Reuters

• US crude and natural gas production recover after countrywide winter storm ravages output -- Reuters

• The White House and tech industry seek to change data center narrative amid growing scrutiny -- The Hill

• Trump administration's subsidy pullback sends electric vehicle market tumbling -- Manhattan Contrarian

• Bjorn Lomborg: Sky-high energy bills have sparked a global climate pushback -- Climate Change Dispatch

• Chinese solar companies scramble to hide China ties to keep US green tax credits flowing -- Free Beacon

• Al Gore's 2006 climate "documentary," two decades of inconvenient inaccuracies -- Issues and Insights

Is Satya Nadella's Job On The Line? January 30, 2026

Locator: 49885MSFT.

Updates

February 9, 2026: when I originally posted my thoughts about Satya Nadella, I thought it might be a bridge too far but comments by talking heads over at CNBC suggest I may not be too far off. The chorus is growing that folks won't want to pay for "Pilot" when "all" other chatbots are free or at least offer a free version. This may not the only problem for MSFT.  

Original Post 

Link here. 

**********************
So Many Story Lines

First question: is this a "Microsoft specific" issue? 

Second question: what did Gates know and when did he know it? 

First comment: this fits the "big story" mentioned yesterday. See this link. For brevity, I will refer to it as the "two tech investing stove-pipes."

Third question: immediately -- is there another company in the shadows next to "fail"? 

Fourth question: where is a safe haven for those investing in tech? 

Second comment: as bad as it looks, MSFT's share price action over the past several months suggests someone knew something. In hindsight, this was not sudden.  

*****************************
Tickers

MSFT:

AAPL: 

Disclaimer
Briefly

Briefly: 

I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.

I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 

See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 

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 something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.

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. 

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

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 

And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution.

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom.

Longer version here.   

Added Shares Of Apple To Existing Position -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49884AAPL.

For the extended family members. Not for general readership. See blog's disclaimer: this is not an investment site. This notice is simply for the extended family members.

I added a significant number of new shares in Apple to my existing position. Because I am so over-weighted in Apple even this new addition won't move the needle right now, but I just can't imagine bargains will come along like this very often.

**********************************
Disclaimer
Briefly

Briefly: 

I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.

I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 

See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 

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 something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.

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. 

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

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 

And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution.

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom.

Longer version here.   

Good Morning, America -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49883LEMON.

Focus On Dividends -- CVX -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49882CVX.

First note: when discussing dividends, safety of that dividend is paramount; can the dividend be sustained? 

Chevron (CVX) reported strong 2025 results with 4Q25 showing a 35% increase in adjusted free cash flow, supported by record production levels despite lower oil prices. The companies returned $27.1 billion to shareholders in 2025 and reported $15.42 billion in levered free cash flor for trailing twelve months.

And so: 

• Chevron (CVX) increased its dividend -- whoo-hoo!
• a 4.1% increase in its quarterly dividend
• raised to $1.78 per share, up from $1.71
• payable: March 10, 2026
• record date: February 17, 2026
• ex-dividend: also, February 17, 2026
• annualized payout: $7.12 per share 

Influenza -- "Seasonal Flu" -- Sudden Plunge In Cases -- Vaccine Doesn't Work This Year -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49881FLU.

Link here. 

Cramer's First Ten Minutes -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49880MARKET.

Market caps this morning:

• Apple: $3.80 trillion
• MSFT: $3.22 trillion

Apple: 

• posts quarterly record results
• talked about this yesterday; won't re-hash, except to say:
• Microsoft is competing for capital;
• Apple is competing for chips (or more specifically, competing for fabs where chips are made).

MSFT: for the archives.

TGIF -- January 30, 2026

Locator: 49879B.

WTI: $65.

New wells reporting: 

• Sunday, February 1, 2026: 2 for the month, 55 for the quarter, 55 for the year,
• 42133, conf, WGO Resources, Trester 1-21,
• 42032, conf, Slawson, Rebel Federal 4-32-17TFH, 
• Saturday, January 31, 2026: 53 for the month, 53 for the quarter, 53 for the year,
• 41997, conf, Slawson, Rebel Federal 2-32-17H, 
• 39806, conf, BR, Mazama 1B, 
• Friday, January 30, 2026: 51 for the month, 51 for the quarter, 51 for the year,
• 42033, conf, Slawson, Rebel Federal 5-32-17TFH, 
• 41007, conf, Hunt, Nichols-Trulson 156-90-10-14H-1,
• 41006, conf, Hunt, Palermo 156-90-3-31H 3,

RBN Energy: Venezuela's heavy oil production needs diluent, opening market for US suppliers. Link here. Archived.