Shares in Google’s parent company jumped in pre-market trading after it was revealed that Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) had a $4.3bn stake in the company.
In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released after hours on Friday, Berkshire disclosed that it owned 17.85 million shares of Alphabet as of 30 September. The disclosure, marking the final report of Warren Buffett’s tenure as CEO after six decades at the helm, surprised many given Buffett’s historically cautious stance towards technology stocks.
Berkshire meanwhile reduced its position in Apple, trimming its holdings from 280 million shares to 238.2 million shares. Despite the cut, Apple remains Berkshire’s largest holding by value, with a stake worth $60.7bn. The company has sold nearly three-quarters of the more than 900 million Apple shares it once held.
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The filing, which outlines Berkshire’s US-listed equity holdings as of 30 September, accounts for the bulk of the conglomerate’s $283.2bn portfolio.
Stock prices often rise when Berkshire reveals new stakes, reflecting what investors view as Buffett’s seal of approval.
Bitcoin briefly wiped out its 2025 gains, erasing more than 30% of its year-to-date rally just a month after hitting an all-time high. The cryptocurrency, which had surged sharply earlier in the year, saw its price dip below $94,000 at one point, its lowest level since 6 May, before stabilising as European markets opened.
At the time of writing, bitcoin was trading at $95,739, down about 1% over the past 24 hours. Despite some recovery, it remained in the red, reflecting ongoing volatility in the market.
Crypto analyst Ali Martinez weighed in on the price action, noting on X (formerly Twitter) that bitcoin had broken out of its recent trading channel, suggesting that the move could signal a potential decline toward $83,500. “This breakout could open the door for further downward movement,” Martinez warned.
Meanwhile, market intelligence platform Santiment highlighted a surge in bitcoin-related discussions, with engagement rates spiking to a four-month high during Friday’s dip below $95,000. The platform attributed this uptick in conversation to rising retail investor fear as the price dropped sharply, signalling heightened concern in the market.
All eyes are now on whether investors will step in to buy the dip or if the cryptocurrency will continue its downward slide.
Shares in Netflix plunged 90% on Friday, but there’s no need for investors to fret — the dramatic drop is the result of the streaming giant’s decision to undergo a 10-for-1 stock split. In fact, the company’s share price was higher in pre-market trading.
At the end of October, Netflix revealed plans for the stock split, a move aimed at making its shares more affordable for retail investors. The company announced it would issue nine additional shares for every share held after the market close on 10 November, making its stock more accessible to employees participating in its stock option program.
This is Netflix’s third stock split since it went public in 2002, with the last split in 2019 reducing the company’s per-share price from around $700 to roughly $100. The 10-for-1 split now brings the stock price down even further, but this is purely a cosmetic change, one that won’t affect the company’s market value or financial performance.
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“A split will make it easier for small investors to buy in but it doesn’t change anything about the company or its attractiveness to institutional investors who drive the market,” said Ross Benes, senior analyst at EMarketer.
Stock splits have become a common tool for companies to increase liquidity and widen their shareholder base without altering the underlying fundamentals of the business. While the price drop might appear alarming at first, the overall value of an investor’s holdings remains the same.
US-listed shares of Alibaba are recovering from Friday’s sharp drop, triggered by a Financial Times report that alleged the White House had issued a memo claiming the company was providing tech support to the Chinese military, threatening US national security.
The Financial Times article stated that the memo accused Alibaba of supplying unspecified technologies to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), which the White House allegedly viewed as a potential threat to US interests. The report cited declassified top-secret intelligence but noted that it was unable to independently verify the claims, and did not publish the full version of the memo. The exact timing of the memo’s release remains unclear.
In response to the allegations, Alibaba Group Holding quickly dismissed the report, calling the accusations baseless. A company spokesperson criticised the leak as an attempt to undermine diplomatic efforts between the US and China, particularly in the wake of a recent trade deal with Beijing.
“The assertions and innuendos in the article are completely false,” an Alibaba spokesman told the South China Morning Post (SCMP). “We question the motivation behind the anonymous leak, which the FT admits that they cannot verify.
“This malicious PR operation clearly came from a rogue voice looking to undermine president Trump’s recent trade deal with China.” Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Shares in WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, surged by more than 5% in London on Monday, driven by a wave of takeover speculation. According to the Sunday Times, French advertising rival Havas (JP7.F) has held talks about acquiring WPP, while private equity giants Apollo and KKR are also said to be exploring a potential bid for the company.
This renewed interest in WPP comes on the heels of a difficult period for the advertising group. Earlier this month, WPP’s share price tumbled to its lowest level since 1998, after a significant cut to its revenue guidance for the year. The company’s newly appointed CEO, Cindy Rose, acknowledged that WPP’s recent performance had been “unacceptable,” further rattling investor confidence.
Various options are reportedly being considered, including a full acquisition, a substantial stake purchase, or even a partial breakup of the company, with particular focus on WPP Media, its subsidiary specialising in the purchase of advertising space.
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Valued at £24bn in 2017, WPP now has a market capitalisation of just £3bn. The company’s struggles have been compounded by short sellers, with eight hedge funds now holding short positions that account for 8.5% of WPP’s shares. These investors are betting on further declines, fuelled by speculation that WPP could be removed from the FTSE 100 (^FTSE), a move that could prompt large-scale divestments from index-tracking funds.
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