Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is sitting on more cash than ever — and he’s having trouble finding investments to which he wants to commit it. That’s how the global finance press is interpreting Berkshire’s latest set of results (pdf), which saw Berkshire report a record cash hoard of more than USD 157 bn (or about 5x Egypt’s total FX serves, for those of you keeping count at home).

Berkshire has most of its cash parked in treasuries, Bloomberg writes, as the globally renowned investor has “struggled to find many of the big-ticket deals that galvanized Buffett’s renown, leaving him with more cash than he and his investing deputies could quickly deploy.”

On the bottom line: Berkshire reported operating earnings of USD 10.7 bn in 3Q 2024 (led by insurance businesses it controls), up from USD 7.7 bn in the same quarter last year. Berkshire also reports GAAP-compliant net earnings, where it turned in a loss due to the requirement that it mark-to-market investments it still holds (and has not sold). Among others, the company is a massive shareholder in Apple.

ALSO- Mass layoffs by US wealth managers continue: Prominent US asset managers Charles Schwab, Prudential, and Invesco are to begin another round of job cuts after a first and larger headcount cut earlier this year. The decision is propelled by an exodus of customers seeking less risky investments. (Financial Times)

EGX30

23,095

+2.0% (YTD: +58.2%)

USD (CBE)

Buy 30.83

Sell 30.96

USD at CIB

Buy 30.85

Sell 30.95

Interest rates CBE

19.25% deposit

20.25% lending

Tadawul

10,939

+0.8% (YTD: +4.4%)

ADX

9,510

+0.3% (YTD: -6.9%)

DFM

3,930

+0.4% (YTD: +17.8%)

S&P 500

4,358

+0.9% (YTD: +13.5%)

FTSE 100

7,418

-0.4% (YTD: -0.5%)

Euro Stoxx 50

4,175

+0.1% (YTD: +10.0%)

Brent crude

USD 84.89

-2.3%

Natural gas (Nymex)

USD 3.52

+1.2%

Gold

USD 1,999.20

+0.3%

BTC

USD 34,664

-0.5% (YTD: +109.3%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The EGX30 rose 2.0% at yesterday’s close on turnover of EGP 3.58 bn (47.7% above the 90-day average). Regional investors were net sellers. The index is up 58.2% YTD.

In the green: Beltone Financial Holding (+8.8%), Qalaa Holding (+5.0%) and EFG Holding (+4.9%).

In the red: Mopco (-1.6%), Oriental Weavers (-0.9%) and Alexandria Mineral Oils Company (-0.7%).

Asian markets are firmly in the green in early trading this morning, led by South Korea’s Kospi, which is up almost 4% after the country’s regulator banned short selling. It’s a more mixed picture in Western markets, with Europe’s biggest indexes are on course to fall while Wall Street will open higher, according to equity futures.

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