Quarterly Lease Sales -- August 2023

Locator: 10001Lease8/23.

Note: this was done quickly; not proofread and not double-checked; there will be content and typographical errors. If this is important to you, go to the source.

North Dakota Trust Lands -- front page; start here.

Link here.

Billings County

• ten units
• mostly 160-acre units
• bonuses: $2 / acre
• bidders: Missouri River Royalty Corp

Burke County

• six units
• mostly 160-acre units
• bonus: $256 to $1,112 (the latter for a 40-acre unit)
• bidders: various, including Phoenix, Norra, Missouri River

Divide County

• twenty units
• split between 80-acre and 160-acre units
• bonus: around $21
• bidders: almost all Missouri River Royalty

Dunn County

• two units
• both were 80-acre units
• bonus: $902 and $1,202
• bidder: both Phoenix Capital Group Holdings

McKenzie County

• twenty units
• all 160-acre units
• bonus: all less than $30; about half less than $5
• bidder: all Missouri River Royalty

Mountrail County

• two units
• both 17-acre units
• bonus: $1,928 and $1,970
• bidder: both Phoenix Capital Group Holdings

Stark County

• ten units
• almost all 80-acre units
• bonus: all less than $35

Williams County

• eight units
• 20-acre, 40-acre, 60-acre, and 80-acre units
• bonus: around $125
• bidder: Okreek Oil & Gas (6); Missouri River Royalty and Anderson Oil Ltd

China To Tim Cook: We Still Really Like You -- September 13, 2023

Locator: 45631AAPL.

Link here.

Let's say, just for argument, that the Chinese government really did ban Apple's iPhones for government workers. 

Now, let's say, just for argument, the Chinese government reverses itself, and says the government is not banning iPhones for government workers.

Can anyone connect the dots? This is not rocket science.

*****************************
Tim Cook: "Mention "AI" And Get Fired"

 Link here.

Very, very slowly, and very, very deliberately, Apple is building an AI-device that will lap the competition to the point that the moat will be incredibly wide.

Peter Zeihan noted that in his note today. China will fall further and further behind, leaving Samsung and Apple as the only two choices. 

Brilliant: Apple's "finger-gesture" controls and emphasis on the iPhone as a medical device. 

Answering the phone on your wrist while holding groceries or a cup of coffee: brilliant. Link here.

**********************
Nvidia 

***************
The Book Club

Ancient Sea Reptiles, Darren Naish, c. 2023. Link here.
Pterosaurs: Natural History, Evolution, Anatomy, Mark Witton, c. 2013. Link here.

Ouch! Almost $8 Billion In Interest Alone -- September 13, 2023

Locator: 45630DEADCOW.

Argentina is tracked here. The Vaca Muerta is tracked here.

Link here.

F-150 Update -- Stealth Launch -- September 13, 2023

Locator: 45629EVS.

EV sales growth slows: link here. 

Hybrids: fake EVs. Link here.

The all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck gets a lot of attention, but make no mistake the traditional truck is still Ford’s more important vehicle.

Ford Motor launched the newly redesigned 2024 F-150s on Tuesday evening, September 12, 2023. The launch is intended to extend Ford’s lead in the key truck segment of the U.S. automotive market.

The importance of the F-150 to Ford can’t be understated. It’s been the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. for some 40-plus years and the best-selling truck for almost 50. Through the end of August, Ford has sold 514,716 F-150s in America, up 22% year over year and accounting for about 38% of Ford’s U.S. total sales.

Buried:

The all-electric F-150 Lightning was launched with a lot of fanfare in 2022, but sales are stuck at roughly 2% of total F-150 units. Manufacturing problems have hurt Ford’s ability to deliver more.

And more:

Lightnings aren’t the only F-150s with batteries, however. About 10% of F-150 sales in 2023 are hybrids. “We’re looking to double our mix of hybrid sales … to at least 20% next year,” says Andrew Frick, vice president of Ford’s traditional car unit, Ford Blue.

Ford is cutting the price of 2024 hybrid models by some $2,000 to help make that happen.

Three Wells Coming Off Confidential List Today -- September 13, 2023

Locator: 45628B.

WTI: $89.45.

Thursday, September 14, 2023: 86 for the month; 288 for the quarter, 533 for the year
39066, conf, Hess, TI-Hanson-158-94-0706H-2,
39029, conf, Liberty Resources, Overdorf 158-96-1-12-4MBH,
28829, conf, Petro-Hunt, Arsenal Federal 149-102-17A-20-3H,

Wednesday, September 13, 2023: 83 for the month; 285 for the quarter, 530 for the year
39641, conf, CLR, Gordon Federal 24-8HSL1,
39624, conf, Creescent Point, CPEUSC Ruby 4 20-17-158N-100W-MBH,
36574, conf, Hess, EN-Kiesel-155-94-1918H-5, 

RBN Energy: Permian Basin production growth drives NGL pipeline buildout.

The Permian is in the midst of an NGL infrastructure boom as midstream companies are investing to keep up with the strong production growth projected over the next several years — but until these new projects are up and running, NGL pipeline capacity to the Gulf Coast is only going to get tighter. In today’s RBN blog, we look at five pipeline projects that are under construction or in the planning process that would significantly boost NGL takeaway capacity out of the Permian.