CovfefeIran and Gulf oil flows, Apple's Pennsylvania titanium, and a $270 million Bombardier figure, Oct 21-23
This note picks up after the Oct 19 to Oct 21 recap and covers posts from Wednesday, Oct 21, through early Friday, Oct 23 UTC. A large share of the feed on Thursday afternoon was early voting reminders and endorsement lists, posted state by state. The items with the most business and market detail were a Thursday morning post on Iran and oil prices, a post about Apple buying titanium from a Pennsylvania company, and a Thursday night post putting a $270 million figure on a Bombardier investment.
Iran, oil prices, and Gulf flows (Thursday morning, Oct 22)
At 15:40 UTC on Thursday (8:40 AM Pacific), a text post said:
Iran is doing everything they can to drive up the price of Oil prior to the U.S. Midterm Election. They are even making up fake hits, mines, and everything else, because more Oil is coming through the Hormuz Strait now than it did even prior to the beginning of the Conflict. They continue to kill protestors, and anyone else that happens to be in their way. It is truly an Evil Regime, and I can only hope the American Public, and the World, understands how EVIL they are! 75,000 protestors lie dead in less than seven months. It is shocking how the World, and the Dumocrat Party, seem not to care. IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, AND THEY WILL NEVER A NUCLEAR WEAPON! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Source: Truth Social post
Covfefe's automated relevance score for this item was 6, with the energy sector and Iran and the United States tagged.
A minute later, at 15:41 UTC, a second post quoted a newspaper headline:
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “More Oil Is Now Coming Out of the Persian Gulf Than Before the Iran War.”
Source: Truth Social post
That Wall Street Journal article, published Oct 20, cited ship tracker Kpler. It reported that Middle East oil flows, counting shipments through Hormuz and alternative routes across the region, averaged more than 24 million barrels a day in the week through Oct. 18, above prewar levels of 23.3 million. Preliminary figures put Hormuz flows alone at around 14 million barrels a day for the same week, or 82% of prewar levels. The same article said Brent crude had risen to around $108 a barrel on Tuesday, Oct 20, and that about 30 attacks on ships had been reported in October, by the Journal's tally.
Not every tracker agrees. A Washington Times report on the Thursday post noted that later reporting indicated Iranian strikes on commercial ships had again cut into traffic. The post itself does not cite a source for the "fake hits" claim or for the protester figure.
Apple's titanium order from Pennsylvania (Wednesday evening, Oct 21)
At 02:29 UTC on Thursday (7:29 PM Pacific on Wednesday), a text post linked a Reuters story:
American Manufacturing is BOOMING. Jobs are coming HOME. We're breaking ALL Economic Estimates. Now Apple is committing to purchasing 100 MILLION DOLLARS of PENNSYLVANIA Titanium for its NEW iPhone. The Radical Left said it couldn't be done. We proved them wrong, AGAIN! I WILL ALWAYS FIGHT FOR THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE OF PENNSYLVANIA. This Investment will be incredible for the people of the 14th Congressional District (Guy Reschenthaler is doing an amazing job!), and the entire Commonwealth. Remember this Investment on Election Day! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Source: Truth Social post
Covfefe's automated relevance score for this item was 6, with consumer electronics and materials tagged and the ticker AAPL attached.
Apple announced the deal itself on Tuesday, Oct 20. According to Apple's press release, it will commit up to $100 million over the next three years with Perryman Company, a family-owned titanium producer in Houston, Pennsylvania. Perryman melts, forges, and rolls grade 5 titanium with at least 80% recycled content for the iPhone Duo enclosure. The release places the deal inside Apple's American Manufacturing Program and its $600 billion, four-year U.S. commitment. CNBC reported that Apple did not say whether the agreement would add near-term capacity for the Duo.
A $270 million Bombardier figure (Thursday night, Oct 22)
At 03:41 UTC on Friday (8:41 PM Pacific on Thursday), a text post credited two Republican officials with a deal:
Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas has done an incredible job in representing his Great State! Because of him, working together with the Trump Administration, Bombardier is investing 270 MILLION DOLLARS, creating THOUSANDS of American Jobs in Kansas, Texas, and Indiana.
Source: Truth Social post
Covfefe's automated relevance score for this item was 4, with manufacturing and industrial tagged and the ticker BBD attached.
Reuters reported that the post came days after threats in September to ban the Canadian jet maker from the U.S. were dropped. Bombardier employs 1,500 people in Wichita, Kansas, and had announced a separate $50 million Wichita investment the week before. Reuters said Bombardier did not respond to a request for comment on the $270 million figure. Investing.com noted that the announcement did not give a timeline or say how the money would be split.
Russia sanctions and Stephen Hubbard (Wednesday, Oct 21)
At 10:49 UTC on Wednesday, and again at 17:19 and 17:20 UTC, a text post said:
Numerous people, who requested that sanctions be immediately imposed on Russia, have called to apologize to President Trump in that they didn’t know that he was negotiating the release of Stephen Hubbard, a truly big and important deal for the U.S. If sanctions would have been placed, certainly those negotiations would have come to a complete and total halt.
Source: Truth Social post
CBS News reported that Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired teacher held in Russia for more than four years, was released on Wednesday during a meeting between U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, and landed in Texas that night. Image posts on Thursday morning shared further screenshots about the release and Ukraine talks.
Other posts in this window
- North Sea drilling (Wednesday, Oct 21, 12:14 UTC). A text post said: "The U.K. has started drilling in the North Sea, one of the greatest and most prosperous areas of OIL in the World. They should go FULL BLAST!!! This will make the U.K. very wealthy again. TAKE DOWN THE COSTLY AND RIDICULOUS WINDMILLS!" Truth Social post
- Early voting and endorsements (Thursday, Oct 22, roughly 21:30 to 23:00 UTC). Dozens of posts announced in-person early voting and listed endorsed candidates state by state, from Alabama through Wyoming.
What to watch
For oil, the gap between the Kpler numbers in the Journal and other trackers' readings on Hormuz traffic is the open question, along with whether the reported attacks on ships continue. For Bombardier, the company's own statement would show whether the $270 million is new money and how it splits across Kansas, Texas, and Indiana.
Covfefe publishes information, not investment advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any asset. Quoted posts link to their original source.