Tonight we have Apple’s earnings and Obama’s State Of the Union talk. The financial press and Cramer believe Apple will tumble and recover, as it’s done many times after earnings:
But it continues upwards. And based on all metrics — including P/E — Apple remains cheap.
Obama allegedly will focus on energy. Nopresident has been able to wean America off foreign oil. We import more and more of it. But all the alternative clean-tech energies — from solar to wind, to algae, etc. — have busted under the explosion of natural gas supply in the U.S. We’re the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We have oodles of it. Remember yesterday’s piece from Wired magazine on The Clean Tech Meltdown. If you didn’t read it, you must. Click here.
Natural gas has been the burial ground for many investors who believed in it. Just as TBT has been a burial ground for investors who believed in early interest rate hikes.
But yesterday — my timing is so brilliant — natural gas stocks rose strongly. The impetus? This story:
US Officials Cut Estimates For US Shale Gas Resources
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)–U.S. energy officials have cut their estimates of natural gas resources, saying Monday there is far less natural gas in a region known as the Marcellus Shale than previously thought.
Despite the downward revision in the amount of shale gas that can be recovered, but not yet proven to exist, officials at the Energy Information Administration said the U.S. will still produce more natural gas than it needs in coming years and will likely become a net exporter of natural gas by 2021.
In a sneak peek Monday of its closely watched annual energy report for 2012, the EIA said it thinks there are about 480 trillion cubic feet of shale gas in the U.S., down from earlier estimates of 830 trillion cubic feet.
The bulk of the downward revision was the result of changing expectations for the Marcellus, which stretches across several states, including Pennsylvania and New York. The EIA said it believes there are 141 trillion cubic feet in the Marcellus Shale, down from 410 trillion cubic feet projected in 2011.
The EIA slashed its estimates because calculations done in 2011 didn’t incorporate valuable production data from Pennsylvania state officials, nor updated forecasts from the U.S. Geological Survey, EIA spokesman Jonathan Cogan said. Recent surges in drilling activity also helped to shed light on available resources, EIA said.
The new numbers bring the EIA estimates more in line with the USGS, which said in August that it believed there was 84 trillion cubic feet of unproven gas in the Marcellus Shale.
The U.S. will still be a strong producer of natural gas and is expected to become a net exporter of gas in 2021, the EIA said.
All combined, there is about 2,200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the U.S., EIA says. If U.S. consumption of natural gas stays the same as it was in 2011, at about 25 trillion cubic feet, the U.S. will have enough supplies for nearly 90 years.
Excellent summary of the Costa Concordia disaster. “A Maritime Disaster that Was Waiting to Happen” – From Germany’s Der Spiegel. Click here. You’d think that all the death and destruction would wreak havoc on Carnival’s stock. But, no, Mr. Market thinks Carnival is a “bargain.” Weird. I covered my short quickly — at small loss.
Restaurant Week in New York City. Some of our priciest restaurants are running three courses for $35 this week. You won’t get fat. The courses are small. But they are yummy.
How NOT to get sick on your next plane trip.
1. Direct the air vent at your face. The air vent is the only place on a plane with clean air. It comes out filtered.
2. If someone is coughing or sneezing, move.
3. Don’t use the seat pocket in front of you. It’s where the previous passenger dumped his used, snotty Kleenexes.
4. Wipe your tray table down with these.
The Australian Tennis continues on ESPN2 and The Tennis Channel. This early morning Federer and Nadal played. The excellent matches will probably be repeated on The Tennis Channel. Semi finals are coming up later this week. Finals on Saturday and Sunday.
Wonderful cartoon.
Great News from the New Yorker.
Harry Newton who bought a little BHP.
Can you research who Mitt Romney's Investors are and what he invested in? I want to use his guys!