Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B)

Berkshire Hathaway stock futures ticked lower ahead of the opening bell in the US on Monday, after it reported quarterly earnings over the weekend.

The report revealed the Warren Buffet-led fund had sold about 100 million, or 25%, of its Apple (AAPL) shares over the last few months, taking its total to about 300 million.

Berkshire has now sold more than 600 million of the iPhone maker's shares in 2024, though it still held $69.9bn of Apple shares — its largest stock holding.

Shares in Berkshire Hathaway are up 26% year-to-date, beating the S&P 500 (^GSPC) 20% rise in that time.

Berkshire's cash pile grew to $325bn, up from a record $272bn (￡208bn) at the end of June.

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Operating profit fell by 6% to $10.09bn. Net income totalled $26.25bn, compared with a loss of $12.77bn a year earlier.

AJ Bell's Russ Mould, Danni Hewson and Dan Coatsworth point out that Berkshire Hathaway has actually been whittling down its exposure to stocks and US government bonds, known as Treasuries, and adding to its cash pile.

"Granted, some of that cash pile comes from the profits and operations of the industrial holdings, including its insurance businesses such as GEICO, the BSNF railroad, utilities and gas pipelines, industrial units such as Lubrizol and Precision Castparts and consumer-facing companies such as Duracell, See’s Candy and Borsheim’s jewellers," they said. "Yet a good portion of the increase has come from asset sales."

Ryanair (RYA.IR)

Ryanair stock wobbled on Monday in early trade, dipping before heading slightly higher, as its CEO Michael O'Leary lashed out against new policies rolled out in the Labour government's first budget. New policies include an increase in tax on airline tickets.

On Monday, O'Leary said the tax “damaged” UK growth prospects and “made air travel much more expensive”. The comments came alongside news that Ryanair will opt to cut flights in and out of UK airports by 10%, a sum that could equate to 5 million fewer passenger journeys.

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Air passenger duty (APD) will rise from the 2026/27 financial year, adding up to ￡2 to the cost of an economy ticket for short-haul flights. Meanwhile, private jet users will face a 50% hike in APD.

“This short-sighted tax grab will make air travel much more expensive for ordinary UK families going on holidays abroad and will make the UK a less competitive destination compared to Ireland, Sweden, Hungary and Italy where these Governments are abolishing travel taxes to stimulate traffic, tourism, and jobs growth in their economies," said O'Leary in comments reported by PA.