qinbafrank
AI/Crypto/TMT Investor, Global Liquidity & Macro, Cycle-Based Investing
Oil company stocks are a steadier way to play high oil than crude itself. Crude swings wildly on every headline, while producers' earnings benefit as long as prices stay elevated, even without a further surge. Chevron is the best pick: it gains from higher oil prices and from Venezuelan production, having been the only oil major still operating there before Maduro's capture. The Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF is also a good choice, steadier than crude. x.com x.comÂ
Crude oil and the XLE energy-sector ETF would be buys on a pullback because uncertainty over a real military strike could hang over the US market from the midterms through year-end. Only an actual strike or a true peace deal would settle that uncertainty. x.comÂ
Chevron already has producing Venezuelan ventures, but expanded agreements still need drilling, dependable power, crews and equipment before more barrels can be sold. Its three ventures were producing about 280,000 barrels a day at the July earnings call, and production had grown 15% year to date by September. Keep holding Chevron, but past gains do not justify buying more at any price. x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ
US energy equities draw a skeptical response, with a sarcastic 'good luck with your energy thesis' to @PrognosticApex but no stated reason. x.comÂ
US energy stocks could rerate if energy prices stay elevated, because S&P 500 index holders have effectively been short energy for a decade. Per the quoted post, the equal-weight S&P 500 has fallen against the cap-weighted index for ten years and this year hit its lowest level, below even the 2020 panic low. x.comÂ
Oil majors such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil and Chevron deserve their multiples because they have consistently generated 10%+ returns across complete energy cycles. They are integrated, now diversified, and control a key commodity for decades ahead. Investors will do fine if they hold for the long term. x.comÂ
US energy stocks face pressure as the US-Iran memorandum of understanding reopens the Strait of Hormuz and lifts the US naval blockade. WTI broke below $80 from near $87 and could head toward $70, as oil, Treasury yields and the dollar broke lower together. Energy was the hardest-hit sector, while airlines rallied on relief from fuel costs. Lower oil eases inflation expectations, with headline CPI at 4.2% but core only 2.9%, removing pressure for Fed hikes. x.com x.comÂ
Exxon Mobil and Chevron are among the highest-quality energy stocks and are long-term holdings, so a quarterly earnings decline is just noise while the thesis is intact. In cyclicals like energy, the approach is to buy only at the deepest cycle lows, never chase, and hold until the thesis permanently breaks. x.comÂ
Energy stocks enter the week bullish after the president announced a great oil deal and crude gapped up, a move worth noting for its future impact. The view covers broad energy and exploration-and-production funds, refiners Marathon Petroleum, PBF Energy and Valero, drillers Transocean, Helmerich & Payne and Valaris, and service companies NESR and SLB. x.comÂ
Chevron and Exxon Mobil face capital strain after their hedging blew up. They may need to raise capital through sales or borrowing if they cannot cut costs, and are struggling to keep enough capital to sustain their dividend floor. x.comÂ
The oil trade is over because crude can no longer make higher highs, even with Middle East crude exports back near their peaks. Oil is trading around its average price of the last eight months and set a lower high in September, so it is only a matter of time before the market gives up. Crude looks about to fall through the floor, with rates following and high-beta stocks then going vertical as every dip gets bought. x.com x.com x.comÂ
