Shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) are trading near their all-time highs, just like the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC). For that reason, Warren Buffett's company may not be of much interest if you are a diehard value investor committed to finding cheap stocks. However, this isn't your ordinary company, and there is an argument to be made that there's never a bad time to buy i...
Shares of Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A)(NYSE: BRK.B) are trading near their all-time highs, just like the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC). For that reason, Warren Buffett's company may not be of much interest if you are a diehard value investor committed to finding cheap stocks. However, this isn't your ordinary company, and there is an argument to be made that there's never a bad time to buy it. What does Berkshire Hathaway do? Berkshire Hathaway basically owns other companies. A lot of companies are structured this way, but what sets Berkshire apart is the vast number of companies that live underneath its broad umbrella. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More » Those companies span a surprising range of industries. Again, it isn't unusual for a company to operate as a conglomerate with businesses that span many industries, but the breadth of Berkshire Hathaway's diversification is vast, including utilities, retail stores, manufacturing companies, and railroads, among many, many others. The real foundational story here is that Berkshire Hathaway functions as an investment vehicle for Warren Buffett. Essentially, the man known as the Oracle of Omaha (and his investment team) buys whole companies and then operates them within the Berkshire Hathaway family. To be fair, Buffett doesn't run them. He hires talented individuals to operate the companies he and his team buy. But Berkshire benefits from the long-term growth of those investments. That's kind of how a mutual fund operates, only a mutual fund doesn't buy entire companies. That said, Buffett is also a shareholder in a select number of large publicly traded companies. That portfolio is tracked closely by investors, and Buffett is often a valuable advisor to the companies in which he owns shares. He and his team provide the same kind of monitoring and advisory role with the companies they own, too, but that can't be ...
Hong Kong-based investment company Jardine Matheson aims to transition from an owner-operator to an active capital manager. The company's new CEO Lincoln Pan spoke exclusively with Bloomberg’s David Ingles at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
Hong Kong-based investment company Jardine Matheson aims to transition from an owner-operator to an active capital manager. The company's new CEO Lincoln Pan spoke exclusively with Bloomberg’s David Ingles at the Asian Financial Forum in Hong Kong. (Source: Bloomberg)
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to visit Beijing, following in the footsteps of other world leaders seeking to boost trade and investment ties with China without sparking reprisals from US President Donald Trump. Starmer will be in China from Thursday to Saturday, according to a Chinese government statement. He will also make a brief stop in Tokyo, a UK government spokesman said. ...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to visit Beijing, following in the footsteps of other world leaders seeking to boost trade and investment ties with China without sparking reprisals from US President Donald Trump. Starmer will be in China from Thursday to Saturday, according to a Chinese government statement. He will also make a brief stop in Tokyo, a UK government spokesman said. The first official trip to China by a UK prime minister since 2018 reflects the huge opportunities...
Malaysia’s government plans to do a cost-benefit analysis of its controversial trade agreement with the US, while warning lawmakers they should keep the accord despite concerns it may hurt the country. The review, pending the deal’s ratification, could take six to 12 months and will focus on the impact on Malaysia’s exports and trade surplus, according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Jo...
Malaysia’s government plans to do a cost-benefit analysis of its controversial trade agreement with the US, while warning lawmakers they should keep the accord despite concerns it may hurt the country. The review, pending the deal’s ratification, could take six to 12 months and will focus on the impact on Malaysia’s exports and trade surplus, according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Johari Abdul Ghani . He was speaking a day after US President Donald Trump vowed to hike tariffs on goods from South Korea to 25%, citing what he said was the failure of lawmakers in Seoul to codify their trade deal. Read More: Trump Vows to Raise Tariffs to 25% on South Korean Goods “Malaysia has not yet received any official notice or notification from the US regarding the timeline for ratifying ART,” Johari told parliament on Tuesday, referring to the trade agreement by its acronym. “Hence, the government is currently reviewing ART’s contents to ensure that the country’s economic interests are safeguarded and to reduce the risks to the country’s trade.” However, terminating the deal altogether would spark economic uncertainty and instability, he added. The trade agreement Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed with Trump last year fueled concerns it could infringe upon Malaysia’s sovereignty. The trade ministry in November published an FAQ to address the worries, a month before Johari took over the portfolio. Read more: Malaysia Exports Surprise as Manufacturing Shipment Hits Record Trump set a 19% tariff on Malaysia in August last year, in line with that imposed on most other Southeast Asian economies and lower than the 25% he earlier threatened. While gross domestic product expanded 4.9% last year, the government expects a slowdown to a range of 4%-4.5% this year amid heightened global volatility. Read more: Malaysian Growth Surprises as Manufacturing Defies US Tariff “Particular focus will be given to the impact of the country’s exports to the United States worth 233.1 bil...
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion , Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital...
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion , Microsoft Corporation ( MSFT ) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital and retail channels worldwide. Shares of the Redmond, Washington-based company have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. MSFT stock has increased 5.9% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ( $SPX ) has gained 13.9% . Moreover, shares of Microsoft have declined 2.8% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 1.5% rise. Looking closer, the software maker stock has also underperformed the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF's ( XLK ) return of 22.1% over the past 52 weeks. Despite beating expectations with Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $4.13 and revenue of $77.67 billion on Oct. 29, Microsoft’s shares fell 2.9% the next day Investors focused on profitability pressures from AI investments, notably $3.1 billion ($0.41 per share) in losses related to OpenAI that weighed on GAAP results. For the fiscal year ending in June 2026, analysts expect MSFT's adjusted EPS to grow 16.4% year-over-year to $15.87. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters. Among the 49 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 41 “Strong Buys,” five “Moderate Buy” ratings, and three “Holds.” On Jan. 26, Raymond James reiterated a “Outperform” rating on MSFT stock with a $600 price target . The mean price target of $621.87 represents a premium of 32.2% to MSFT's current price. The Street-high price target of $678 suggests a 44.2% potential upside.
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital an...
With a market cap of $3.5 trillion, Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a global technology company that develops and supports a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and solutions across productivity, business, cloud computing, and personal computing. It delivers products and services such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows, LinkedIn, Dynamics, and Xbox through OEMs, partners, and digital and retail channels worldwide. Shares of the Redmond, Washington-based company have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. MSFT stock has increased 5.9% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has gained 13.9%. Moreover, shares of Microsoft have declined 2.8% on a YTD basis, compared to SPX's 1.5% rise. More News from Barchart Looking closer, the software maker stock has also underperformed the State Street Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF's (XLK) return of 22.1% over the past 52 weeks. www.barchart.com Despite beating expectations with Q1 2026 adjusted EPS of $4.13 and revenue of $77.67 billion on Oct. 29, Microsoft’s shares fell 2.9% the next day Investors focused on profitability pressures from AI investments, notably $3.1 billion ($0.41 per share) in losses related to OpenAI that weighed on GAAP results. For the fiscal year ending in June 2026, analysts expect MSFT's adjusted EPS to grow 16.4% year-over-year to $15.87. The company's earnings surprise history is promising. It beat the consensus estimates in the last four quarters. Among the 49 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a “Strong Buy.” That’s based on 41 “Strong Buys,” five “Moderate Buy” ratings, and three “Holds.” www.barchart.com On Jan. 26, Raymond James reiterated a “Outperform” rating on MSFT stock with a $600 price target. The mean price target of $621.87 represents a premium of 32.2% to MSFT's current price. The Street-high price target of $678 suggests a 44.2% potential upside. On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly ...
Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Highwood Value Partners H2 2025 Letter To Investors. Burford Capital ( BUR ) is our UK listed global market leader in litigation finance. The company makes money by funding select commercial litigation claims in exchange for a share of the settlement or court awarded judgement and by generating fees on third party...
Olivier Le Moal/iStock via Getty Images The following segment was excerpted from the Highwood Value Partners H2 2025 Letter To Investors. Burford Capital ( BUR ) is our UK listed global market leader in litigation finance. The company makes money by funding select commercial litigation claims in exchange for a share of the settlement or court awarded judgement and by generating fees on third party capital. The original thesis is here and details of the judgement against Argentina in 2023 here. Fundamentals vs thesis. Burford has compounded book value per share and realized cash proceeds from litigation matters settled and adjudicated ahead of my original underwriting assumptions. The best measure of fundamental progress of the core business ex YPF is the cash “run-off” value of the existing book of claims, which incorporates both realizations (cash in) and deployments (cash out) as well as a rate of return assumption on those deployments. My estimate of that value has increased from c. $9 to c.$12.50 per share. Meanwhile the share price is essentially unchanged from our original purchase price of $9.50. The other major asset we own through Burford is a proportional share in the YPF claim. Here, the progress to date is in line with the best case scenario I had initially envisaged. After nearly a decade of litigation, we have a clear judgement overwhelmingly in our favor and quantification of damages at the high end of my estimate. As such, our assessment of fair value has increased meaningfully over the past 3 years. Why does this opportunity exist? First, Burford is the only listed business of its kind, which means analysts have very little to compare it with and little precedent for its business model and economics. Second, earnings are difficult to forecast because the timing of realizations is dependent on the courts not the business cycle – a positive in my view. Finally, the developments in the YPF case tend to be taken out of context and draw attention away fr...
Retail sentiment around major ETFs such as SPY and QQQ stayed bearish on Stocktwits. Wall Street remains steady ahead of the Fed decision and a heavy earnings slate. Investors will also watch for remarks from President Trump, scheduled to speak in Iowa later today. UnitedHealth (UNH), RTX Corp (RTX), Boeing (BA), UPS (UPS), General Motors (GM), and American Airlines (AAL) are on the earnings radar...
Retail sentiment around major ETFs such as SPY and QQQ stayed bearish on Stocktwits. Wall Street remains steady ahead of the Fed decision and a heavy earnings slate. Investors will also watch for remarks from President Trump, scheduled to speak in Iowa later today. UnitedHealth (UNH), RTX Corp (RTX), Boeing (BA), UPS (UPS), General Motors (GM), and American Airlines (AAL) are on the earnings radar today. U.S. stock futures were largely higher early Tuesday, as investors prepared for a busy stretch of the fourth-quarter earnings season and the Federal Reserve’s first policy meeting of 2026 this week. As of 3:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Nasdaq futures were up 0.6%, S&P 500 futures were up 0.3%, and Russell 2000 futures were up 0.4%. However, the Dow futures were flat with a negative bias. Meanwhile, retail sentiment toward the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), an exchange-traded fund that tracks the S&P 500 Index, moderated to ‘bearish’ from 'extremely bearish’ a day ago, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) ETF, which tracks the Nasdaq 100 Index, has remained ‘bearish,’ amid high message volumes. Investors will also be watching for remarks from President Trump, who is scheduled to speak in Iowa later today. Trending Stocks To Watch Meta Platforms (META): Reports suggest the company is testing new subscription models across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Micron (MU): The stock is in focus after announcing plans to invest $24 billion over 10 years in a NAND manufacturing facility in Singapore. It expects to begin wafer output in the second half of 2028. Google (GOOGL): The company has reportedly agreed to pay $68 million to settle claims related to unauthorized recordings of its voice assistant, without admitting wrongdoing. Microsoft (MSFT): Local officials in Wisconsin have approved 15 additional data centers in the region. Amazon Web Services (AMZN): It has secured a $581 million U.S. Air Force Cloud One contract. Salesforce, Inc (CRM): The stock jumped 1.5% in extended trading on ...
US allies are shifting their focus to Beijing as Donald Trump doubles down on his tariff threats. After fresh US warnings, the year has started with a diplomatic rush to Beijing as European, Asian, and North American leaders seek stability through bilateral engagement with China. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung kicked off the diplomatic pivot in early January. As the first South Korean presi...
US allies are shifting their focus to Beijing as Donald Trump doubles down on his tariff threats. After fresh US warnings, the year has started with a diplomatic rush to Beijing as European, Asian, and North American leaders seek stability through bilateral engagement with China. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung kicked off the diplomatic pivot in early January. As the first South Korean president to visit China since 2019, his trip cemented a thaw in relations. Irish Taoiseach Micheál...
ipuwadol/iStock via Getty Images Private equity activity continued to gradually rise in 2025 as the amount of capital deployed into new deals and the number of portfolio company investments exited both increased over prior-year totals. The aggregate value of private equity and venture capital entries globally increased 20% to $468.51 billion in 2025 from $390.08 billion in 2024, according to S&P G...
ipuwadol/iStock via Getty Images Private equity activity continued to gradually rise in 2025 as the amount of capital deployed into new deals and the number of portfolio company investments exited both increased over prior-year totals. The aggregate value of private equity and venture capital entries globally increased 20% to $468.51 billion in 2025 from $390.08 billion in 2024, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence data. It was the second consecutive annual increase in announced deal value. Private equity exits also increased in 2025, totaling 3,149 globally, marking a 5.4% increase from the 2024 total, according to Market Intelligence data. The back-to-back annual increases in capital deployment and exit volume followed a two-year downturn for both of those key private equity metrics, and they indicate the private equity investment cycle is revving up again. But that acceleration has come at a cost: even as the number of exits increased in 2025, the announced value of those deals decreased 21.2% year-over-year, generating lower profits for fund managers and their investors. 'Swollen portfolios' Fund managers who delayed deals during the downturn are now exiting portfolio companies at lower-than-expected valuations just to keep the private equity flywheel spinning, said Steven Siesser, a managing partner at Lowenstein Sandler and chair of the law firm's private equity practice. "By and large, values are down except for the handful of hot sectors," Siesser said. Exits remain critical to fundraising. They trigger a distribution of profits to private equity fund investors, known as limited partners. Limited partners typically recycle some of those profits into new fund commitments, and the scarcity of exits during the industry’s recent downturn continues to hamper private equity fundraising. Private equity portfolio company holding times extended across a variety of sectors in 2025. "There are still a lot of swollen portfolios. I’m aware of funds who have five, ...