Wells Fargo on Wednesday upgraded Halliburton (HAL) to the equivalent of a buy rating from hold, authoring a favorable investment case that closely aligns with the Club’s rationale for owning the oilfield services company. In addition to the bullish rating adjustment, analysts at Wells Fargo also raised their price target on Halliburton shares to $52 from $33, a nearly 49% upside from where the stock closed Tuesday. Halliburton’s stock price surged roughly 5% on Wednesday, to nearly $37 a share. “Macroeconomic headwinds may persist, but energy security and overall global oil & gas supply challenges…have created a sustained undersupply situation, which should sustain commodity prices and upstream investment,” the analysts wrote in a research note Wednesday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude — the U.S. oil benchmark — climbed nearly 3% Wednesday, to $88 a barrel. The Wells Fargo note came on the heels of Halliburton reporting better-than-expected third-quarter results on Tuesday. “Against tight supply, demand for oil and gas is strong and we believe it will remain so,” CEO Jeff Miller said. “While broader market volatility is clear, what we see in our business is strong and growing demand for equipment and services,” he added. The Club stuck with the stock through turbulent summer months because we continue to expect tight oil-market conditions to lead to increased drilling activity in the coming years, benefiting companies like Halliburton. Miller on Tuesday also noted there is little spare capacity for oil drilling equipment, enabling Halliburton to charge more for its services while demand holds up. That’s something Wells Fargo also referenced, contending it should result in higher margins at Halliburton and other energy services firms. Big picture After falling more than 26% in the third quarter, crude prices have staged a strong recovery this quarter on the back of an agreement by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, collectively known as OPEC+, to cut production by 2 million barrels a day from next month. WTI has rebounded by more than 10% since the start of October. The turning tide for oil prices has helped support stock prices across the industry. Energy has been the best-performing sector in the S & P 500 in October by a wide margin, advancing more than 23% month-to-date. Halliburton’s robust third quarter — and Wells Fargo’s subsequent upgrade Wednesday — come as the Club’s other energy holdings are set to report quarterly results in the coming days. Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) reports Thursday after the bell. Devon Energy (DVN) and Coterra Energy (CTRA) are scheduled to follow next week, reporting after the close on Nov. 1 and Nov. 3, respectively. The Club take We think Wells Fargo’s upgrade of Halliburton is well-reasoned, highlighting why we’ve maintained our position in the company despite the stock’s rollercoaster ride since we first invested in March . We see the long-term need for oil drilling to reverse years of structural underinvestment on the supply side. And the tight equipment market means Halliburton has a significant amount of pricing power — something all investors should appreciate in this inflationary environment. Moreover, Halliburton’s efforts to significantly reduce its cost structure during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic mean it’s on course to further expand operating margins. More broadly, while our discipline required us to trim some energy exposure around the OPEC+ announcement, we’ve otherwise held steady with our oil holdings in recent weeks during the sector’s rally. Indeed, our energy positions help us hedge against inflation. And for the likes of Pioneer, Devon and Coterra, sizable cash returns through dividends and buybacks sweeten the investment case. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long HAL, PXD, DVN and CTRA. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Signage is displayed outside a Halliburton Co. location in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, U.S.
Luke Sharett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Wells Fargo on Wednesday upgraded Halliburton (HAL) to the equivalent of a buy rating from hold, authoring a favorable investment case that closely aligns with the Club’s rationale for owning the oilfield services company.
JiYue, a Chinese EV brand focused on delivering all-electric “robocars” to the masses, has unveiled its latest model, and it’s quite a deviation from its previous EVs—but in the best way. Earlier today, JiYue launched the ROBO X supercar, designed for high-speed racing. By high speed, we mean 0-100 km/h acceleration in under 1.9 seconds. My mouth is watering.
JiYue has only existed since 2021, when parent tech company Baidu announced it was expanding from software development into physical EV production, joining forces with multinational automotive manufacturer Geely.
The new “robotic EV” marque initially launched as JIDU with $300 million in startup capital before garnering an additional $400 million in Series A funding, led by Baidu, in January 2022.
In August 2023, Geely took on a larger role in JIDU alongside a greater financial stake as the brand reimagined itself as JiYue, inheriting the JIDU logo and its flagship model, the 01 ROBOCAR.
The 07 finally launched in China earlier this year with 545 miles of range. With an all-electric SUV and sedan on the market, JiYue has unveiled an exciting new entry in the form of a performance supercar called the ROBO X. Check it out:
JiYue’s new ROBO X EV is available for pre-order now
JiYue showcased its new ROBO X hypercar in front of the crowd at the 2024 Guangzhou Auto Show earlier today. Similar to previous models but with a unique spin, JiYue described the ROBO X as an AI smart-driving supercar that, for the first time, blends artificial intelligence and autonomous driving into a high-performance, race-ready EV.
When we say “high performance,” we mean a quad motor liquid-cooled drive system that can propel the ROBO X from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in under 1.9 seconds. JiYue called the new ROBO X a “performance beast” with “the perfect balance of excellent aerodynamic performance and high downforce.” JiYue CEO Joe Xia was even bolder in his statements about the ROBO X:
For the next 20 years, the design of supercars will bear the shadow of Robo X. This is the best design in the history of Chinese automobiles today, and it is a landmark presence.
Fighter-style airflow ducts bolster the EV’s aerodynamics, efficiency, and overall posture. Per JiYue, the two-seater ROBO X is expected to deliver a maximum range of over 650 km (404 miles).
The new supercar features falcon-wing doors, a carbon fiber integrated frame, and a professional racing HALO safety system offering 360° of support. The interior features an AI smart cockpit with SIMO real-time feedback to give drivers an immersive racing experience.
Furthermore, JiYue said the vehicle will utilize parent company Baidu’s Apollo self-driving technology, which could make it the first electric supercar to apply pure-vision ADAS technology that enables track-level autonomous driving.
Following today’s unveiling of the ROBO X, JiYue has officially opened up pre-orders in China for RMB 49,999 ($6,915). That said, reservation holders will need to be patient as JiYue shared that it doesn’t expect to begin mass production of the ROBO X until 2027.
What do you think? Will people be talking about the ROBO X for the next 20 years?
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes the launch of the Lectric XPedition 2.0, Yamaha e-bikes pulling out of North America, LiveWire unveils an electric scooter concept, PNY readying its cargo e-scooters for pilot testing, Royal Enfield’s first electric motorcycle, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
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Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:30 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:30 a.m. ET):
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Crude oil futures were on pace Friday for loss for the week, as a supply gut and a strong dollar depresses the market.
U.S. crude oil is down more than 2% this week, while Brent has shed nearly 2%.
Here are Friday’s energy prices:
West Texas Intermediate December contract: $68.56 per barrel, down 14 cents, or 0.2%. Year to date, U.S. crude oil has shed about 4%.
Brent January contract: $72.36 per barrel, down 20 cents, or 0.28%. Year to date, the global benchmark has lost nearly 6%.
RBOB Gasoline December contract: $1.99 per gallon, up 0.46%. Year to date, gasoline has fallen more than 1%.
Natural Gas December contract: $2.70 per thousand cubic feet, down 2.98%. Year to date, gas has gained more than 4%.
The International Energy Agency has forecast a surplus of more than 1 million barrels per day in 2025 on robust production in the U.S. OPEC revised down its demand forecast for the fourth consecutive month as demand in China remains soft.
A strong dollar also hangs over the market, as the greenback has surged in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory.