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☆ Mission Impossible: Paramount reckoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

NEW YORK, July 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Paramount Global’s (PARA.O) predicament is worthy of its successful “Mission: Impossible” franchise. Over the past year or so, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) has bought and increased its stake in Paramount to about 15%. Without the funding, her closely held firm might have needed to pledge more of its Paramount stock against a loan. Streaming service Paramount+ is similar to Netflix, whose enterprise is worth 5 times next year’s estimated revenue. “Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One,” from Paramount Pictures, opens in movie theaters on July 12.

Persons: Shari Redstone, Looney, Walt Disney, Sumner, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Goldman Sachs, Byron Trott, Rudolph Valentino, Mae West, Marx, Trustbusters, Martin Davis, Sumner Redstone, Simon, Schuster, Walt, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Sharon Lam, Streisand Neto Organizations: YORK, Reuters, Paramount, Warner Bros Discovery, AT, Netflix, Apple, Comcast, Electronic Arts, MSD Partners, Viacom, Audio Communications, CBS, Nickelodeon, MTV, Time Warner, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Tiffany Network, National Football League, Fox, Amazon, MGM, U.S, Penguin Random, Walt Disney, Amusements, Paramount Global, BDT Capital Partners, “, Paramount Pictures, Thomson Locations: U.S, Gulf, Western, NAI

☆ Warren Buffett pours more money into Japan’s stock market
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) has added to its holdings in Japan’s five biggest trading houses, likely underpinning strong momentum propelling the nation’s stock market to multi-year highs. Berkshire said Monday its stakes in Itochu (ITOCF), Marubeni (MARUY), Mitsubishi Corp, Mitsui & Co (MITSY), and Sumitomo now average more than 8.5%. “The tailwinds for Japanese equities continue to multiply,” said Charu Chanana, market strategist at broker Saxo Markets in Singapore. Known as “sogo shosha,” Japanese trading houses deal in a variety of materials, products and food, often serving as intermediaries, and provide logistical support. The trading firms’ regulatory filings of June 12 showed Berkshire holding 7.4% of Itochu’s stock, 8.3% of Marubeni and Mitsubishi’s stock, 8.1% of Mitsui’s stock and 8.2% of Sumitomo’s stock.

Persons: Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Monday’s, ”, Charu Organizations: Berkshire, Mitsubishi Corp, Mitsui & Co, Sumitomo, Nikkei, Saxo Markets, America Berkshire Locations: Singapore, Berkshire, United States

☆ Premarket stocks: Wall Street's 'fear gauge' is rising as US debt talks drag on
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Markets will get volatile, maybe the stock market will go down, the Treasury markets will have their own problems,” he said. But this fear of market volatility isn’t going away. A similar fight around the debt ceiling in 2011 spurred a serious bout of market volatility. Wall Street’s key measure of volatility, the VIX, reached two year highs and soared more than 35% in just one day. Wall Street typically uses the VIX, known as the market’s “fear gauge,” as a way to measure how investors feel about financial and economic uncertainties.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway’s Energy Idea Is a Bad Fit for Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jinjoo Lee | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

A proposed plan would create backup power plants for use only in the event of a breakdown elsewhere. Two years ago, not long after the Texas electricity system snapped following a winter storm, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway pitched an idea to Texas lawmakers: Let us build some backup power plants in exchange for steady, guaranteed payment. The state Senate earlier this month passed a bundle of bills aimed at reforming the state’s energy system, the most substantial of which proposes a so-called Texas Energy Insurance Program. Under that system, the state would run a competitive process to select power plants that would serve as backups in case of emergencies. Only natural-gas-fueled power plants with on-site fuel storage would qualify.

☆ Warren Buffett wants harsher penalties for top leaders of failed banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Billionaire investor Warren Buffett isn’t worried about the state of the US banking industry — but he would like to see much tougher consequences for top leaders of the banks that fail. In the wake of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, Buffett reflected on the public’s frustration after the 2008 financial crisis. The FDIC’s move was an extraordinary one, and Buffett said it gives him confidence about the state of the industry. It will be the banks, not US taxpayers, who will have to pay if the costs of bank failures rise, he added. “I do not think I could run the Fed as well as Jay Powell has done,” Buffett said.

☆ Premarket stocks: Main Street investors bet on comeback for regional banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Forget the banking crisis — Main Street’s retail investors have barreled into embattled bank stocks. At the same time, he said, institutional investors, the so-called “smart money,” have been trading out of volatile regional bank stocks. That could mean bad news for those who are betting they’ll see big returns on regional bank stocks. This is a risky move for retail investors, said Iachini, and a speculative play. We’re not seeing a meaningful recovery, at least yet, for regional bank stocks, he said.

☆ How the market has changed in the 20+ years I’ve covered it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Eastman Kodak (KODK) was a Dow stock. I’ve written about B2B (aka business-to-business) software companies, cloud computing firms, IPOs and SPACs, and cannabis/pot stocks. There have been more flavors of the month in the stock market during my CNN career than at your local Baskin-Robbins. It’s fine to have a lot of your money in S&P 500 ETFs and other funds that will track the broader market. “We still continue to believe that over long periods of time, stocks provide a reasonable hedge against inflation,” Patterson said.

☆ Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Posts Big 2022 Loss in Rocky Market
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Akane Otani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Investors and guests returned for an in-person Berkshire Hathaway meeting in Omaha, Neb. Warren Buffett is still betting on America. Stocks and bonds slumped in 2022 after central banks raised interest rates at a rapid pace to try to rein in inflation. But Mr. Buffett retained his sense of optimism in his annual letter to investors Saturday, saying he attributes much of his success over the years to the resilience of the U.S. economy.

☆ Warren Buffett is missing out on this year’s market comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But the Oracle of Omaha has missed out on this year’s stock market rally. Buffett, in fact, has promoted that idea to investors many times, arguing that most individual stock pickers will not be able to beat the market. And to his credit, that usually pays dividends: Berkshire stock was up 3% last year in a down market. “High rates of inflation create a tax on capital that makes much corporate investment unwise,” Buffett said in his 1980 shareholder letter to Berkshire investors. Investors will get several more clues about consumer spending this week when several top retailers report earnings.

☆ Paramount Isn’t Buffeted by Streaming Winds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Dan Gallagher | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The series ‘1923’ with Harrison Ford had its premiere on Paramount+ near the end of the recent quarter. Warren Buffett may or may not be a “Yellowstone” fan, but he sure seems to like a good drama. Paramount Global was one of the few stocks Mr. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway bought more of during the fourth quarter, according to a filing earlier this week. And that was during a period when the famed long-term investor made some uncharacteristic quick exits. Berkshire sold off 86% of its position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing just one quarter after first buying into the chip-making titan.

Taipei/Hong Kong CNN —Shares in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company fell as much as 4% on Wednesday, after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it had sold most of its holdings in the chip giant. Just months before, in November, the company held about 60 million American depository shares of TSMC worth $4.1 billion, according to an SEC filing. Berkshire Hathaway did not provide a reason for the sale and did not immediately respond to a CNN request for comment. Shares in TSMC, which accounts for an estimated 90% of the world’s super-advanced computer chips, ended Wednesday more than 3% lower. TSMC announced last year that it’s building a second semiconductor factory in Phoenix and increasing its investment there.

☆ How to Invest in Stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +23 min

Set your time frameWhen you’re ready to invest in stocks, it’s natural to start by looking at how the stock market has performed recently. If you’re saving for the long-term: Invest in stocksOn the other hand, if you have a long-term financial goal—especially retirement, but any goal a decade or more out—you can afford to invest in the stock market. Decide how much risk to takeJust because you have time to invest in stocks doesn’t mean you have the stomach. Return Best Year Worst Year Years with a loss 100% Stocks 12.3% 54.2% -43.1% 25/96 80% Stocks 11.1% 45.4% -34.9% 24/96 60% Stocks 9.9% 36.7% -26.6% 22/96 40% Stocks 8.7% 35.9% -18.4% 19/96 20% Stocks 7.5% 40.7% -10.1% 16/96 100% Bonds 6.3% 45.5% -0.8% 20/96 VanguardStep 3. Most ETFs are index funds, meaning they merely aim to match the returns of a stock market index, although some target very narrow slices of the market, such as just tech stocks or just energy stocks.

☆ Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are beating the market this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But Warren Buffett has no reason to be worried. Shares of Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB) are up about 5.5% in 2022. Berkshire has big stakes in Coca-Cola (KO) and Kraft Heinz (KHC), which are each up around 10% this year. Buffett turns 93 next August while Berkshire vice chair and long-time Buffett confidant Charlie Munger will celebrate his 99th birthday on New Year’s Day. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren has introduced a bill with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall that would crack down on money laundering in the crypto world.

☆ Berkshire Hathaway: Warren Buffett further unwinds BYD investment in China
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It’s the fifth major share sale by Berkshire (BERK) of BYD shares disclosed since August, according to public records. Before the first deal was disclosed in August, Berkshire had held 225 million shares of BYD for 14 years. The US conglomerate first bought BYD shares at an average of HK$8 ($1.02) apiece in 2008, with an investment of $230 million. Back then, BYD shares had fallen to a record low during the global financial crisis. Based on the latest exchange filing, the conglomerate has dumped more than 49 million BYD shares in the past four months.

CNN Business —Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company plans to bring its most advanced technology to Arizona, the founder of the chip giant said Monday. Super-advanced semiconductor chips — like the ones produced by TSMC — are an indispensable part of everything from smartphones to washing machines. Advances in chip manufacturing require etching ever-smaller transistors on to silicon wafers. Chang said its plant in Arizona will produce 3-nanometer chips, TSMC’s most advanced technology. Experts have warned that any disruption to Taiwan’s chip supply could paralyze production of key equipment, impacting almost everyone in the world.

☆ TSMC stock surges after Warren Buffett's company buys $4 billion stake
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Diksha Madhok | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New Delhi CNN Business —Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company surged on Tuesday after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway disclosed that it had purchased a $4.1 billion stake in one of the world’s largest chipmakers. Shares of TSMC were up over 8% in Taiwan on Tuesday. “TSMC welcomes all investors with the propensity to buy and hold TSMC’s stock,” a spokesperson for the chipmaker said. TSMC accounts for an estimated 90% of the world’s super-advanced computer chips, supplying tech giants including Apple (AAPL) and Qualcomm (QCOM). Experts fear that these controls could shift the tech arms race between the United States and China to a whole new level.

☆ Inflation is cooling, and Wall Street loves it
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Investors are hoping that the cooling inflation pressures will lead the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates by smaller amounts in the next few months, following four consecutive historically large hikes. But it’s the good news on the inflation front that is giving investors the biggest cause for jubilation. Those comments soothed investors, who were spooked by remarks from another Fed official about inflation and interest rates. The Fed is clearly still more concerned about inflation than it is the possibility its aggressive rate hikes will slow the economy. That means the market should get used to the notion that interest rates are going to keep climbing and may stay elevated for some time.

☆ Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Swings to Loss, Stung by Battered Market
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Akane Otani | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. swung to a loss in the third quarter as a volatile stock market and losses from insurance underwriting offset gains in its manufacturing, service and retail businesses. The Omaha, Neb., company reported a net loss of $2.69 billion, or $1,832 a class A share equivalent, versus a year-earlier profit of $10.34 billion, or $6,882 a share.

☆ BYD catches investors at distracted driving
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Investors drove the $93 billion company’s shares up around 5% on Tuesday after the company estimated its net profit nearly quadrupled in the quarter ending September compared to the same period last year. Its global market share overtook Tesla (TSLA.O) in the first eight months of the year, according to Bernstein analysts. Tuesday’s recovery suggests at least some investors now believe that was overdone. BYD is driving into new markets overseas and moving its once budget brand up-market. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

☆ Tesla investors try to ignore Musk's many distractions
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

While that’s good news for Twitter’s long-suffering shareholders, Tesla investors hope he still has some time for them. There are big challenges in China as well, with Tesla going up against homegrown EV rivals like Nio (NIO), Xpeng and Li Auto. Too many distractionsGary Black, managing partner at the Future Fund and a Tesla shareholder, has been tweeting for the past few weeks that concerns about Twitter are a headache for Tesla investors. In one tweet, Black said there are several problems for Tesla due to Twitter. The underwhelming deliveries and production numbers also underscore how a slowing global economy (and possible recession) could hurt Tesla.

☆ Wonder where the economy is heading? Pay close attention to earnings
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Economic bellwether FedEx (FDX) stunned Wall Street last week with a massive earnings warning and tepid outlook for the global economy. Still, investors remain nervous about the health of the railroad business, a sign of the jitters about the overall economy. Most of Corporate America operates on a calendar year schedule for earnings, which means they will report third quarter results in October. That would be the worst quarter for earnings since a 5.7% decrease in the third quarter of 2020, when the economy was reeling from Covid-imposed lockdowns. That adds to the risk that a global spike in rates will lead to a further slowdown in earnings, consumer spending and the overall economy.

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