Blackrock -- Fink -- Direct Line -- Trump -- Panama Canal -- The Dots All Connect -- March 4, 2025

Locator: 48460PANAMA.

Bloomberg: link here.

MSN/AP: link here.

This was a huge story on so many levels.

A Hong Kong-based conglomerate has agreed to sell its controlling stake in a subsidiary that operates ports near the Panama Canal to a consortium including BlackRock Inc., effectively putting the ports under American control after President Donald Trump alleged Chinese interference with the operations of the critical shipping lane.

In a filing, CK Hutchison Holding said Tuesday that it would sell all shares in Hutchison Port Holdings and in Hutchison Port Group Holdings to the consortium in a deal valued at nearly $23 billion, including $5 billion in debt.

The deal will give the BlackRock consortium control over 43 ports in 23 countries, including the ports of Balboa and Cristobal, located at either end of the Panama Canal. Other ports are in Mexico, the Netherlands, Egypt, Australia, Pakistan and elsewhere.

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The Book Page

44% off regular price. 44% off price at other sites.

The War Is Over --- March 4, 2025

Locator: 48459UKRAINE.

This is amazing. Link here.

Parody. Link here.

One of his best speeches ever. Link here.

I admire Nancy Pelosi for showing up. I had not expected that. I would like to see her detractors at age 84 less than six months out from a broken hip walking with a cane show up at a gaggle of narcissists. 

After his speech tonight ... my hunch ... well, I don't know what to say ... will be interesting to see what pundits have to say ... 

Disgraceful ... pending over at x.

Had I not seen it with my own eyes ... 

Reviews suggest he hit it out of the ball park ....

My hunch ... if the war ends within Trump's first 100 days, Zelenskyy will get the Nobel Peace Prize.

Phoenix Operating With Four New Permits — March 4, 2025

Locator: 48458B. 

WTI: $68.26.

Active rigs: 31.

Four new permits, #41669 - #41672, inclusive:

• Operator: Phoenix Operating
• Field: Noonan (Divide County)
• Comments: 
• Phoenix Operating has permits for four Gopher wells, NWSW 33-162-95; 
• to be sited 2239 / 2359 FSL and 450 FWL.

Well, This Didn't Take Long -- March 4, 2025

Locator: 48457UKRAINE.

Well, this didn't take long.

Something tells me we won't see Zelenskyy at the White House any time soon. 

FAFO.

One certainly gets the feeling that Zelenskyy misread Trump and JD Vance, and played Joe Biden for billions of dollars. 

Update: link here. I guess the war will continue with continued funding from the US. 

NATO, the EU, and Europe can breathe more easily.

The Age Of Deals -- March 4, 2025

Locator: 48456PANAMA.

Tag: Panama.

Holy mackerel things move quickly.

While politicians -- small minds quibble about extending the war in Ukraine -- movers and shakers are moving and shaking. My hunch: the next four years -- the age of deals.  

Governor Hochul, New York, says she will lead the opposition against Trump -- euphemism for "I've thrown my hat into the presidential ring." 

Meanwhile, guys over at BlackRock are making deals.

And Honda says it's moving some of its operations out of Mexico into the US. To a "red" state. LOL.

I don't think folks realize how many foreign automakers already have operations in the US. 

It doesn't take much to increase production at a plant if there are no supply chain issues. Right now, I assume most plants are working two shifts. And even if tariffs markedly decrease the number of foreign autos coming into the US, it will be nothing like what happened during Covid. 

It's likely the industry will raise car prices blaming it on tariffs. But there are more than enough cars made in the US without risk of tariffs. 

And with car sales dropping -- or so I've heard -- I don't think there's a chance that we'll see a shortage of new and used cars like we saw coming out of the lock down a couple of years ago. But dealers will take advantage of "tariffs" to raise prices. 

Foreign truck manufacturers with presence in the US: Daimler and Volvo.