New York, Jan 17, 2026, 05:46 (EST) — Market closed.
- BRK.B closed Friday just above its previous level, entering an extended U.S. market weekend.
- Apple slid as American Express gained, pushing Berkshire’s top public holdings in opposite directions.
- Traders are eyeing policy risks facing card lenders alongside the upcoming update on Berkshire’s portfolio.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc’s Class B shares (BRK.B) ticked up 0.1% to close at $493.29 on Friday. The stock is entering a quiet period, with investors waiting for a new market trigger instead of fresh news from Berkshire itself.
The quiet shift is still significant. Berkshire behaves like a collection of U.S. risk exposures: major operations in insurance, railroads, and energy, alongside an equity portfolio that reacts to earnings and policy chatter.
The year kicks off with a new leader at the helm daily. According to a company filing, Greg Abel took over as Berkshire’s chief executive on Jan. 1, stepping into the role formerly held by Warren Buffett. 1
Wall Street closed out the week on a muted note. U.S. stocks finished Friday almost unchanged in a volatile session ahead of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, with major indexes posting modest weekly declines, Reuters reported. The S&P 500 financial sector suffered its largest weekly percentage drop since October, weighed down by concerns over President Donald Trump’s plan to cap credit-card interest rates at 10% for one year. Traders also prepared for increased swings after the monthly options expiration, according to the report. Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial, said “around flat” would “count as a win” with the S&P 500 near 7,000, while Bruce Zaro of Granite Wealth Management described mid-January as “pretty choppy.” 2
Berkshire’s largest public stakes showed contrasting moves Friday. Apple slipped 1.1%, but American Express gained 2.1%, and Bank of America edged up 0.7%.
That division will probably keep surfacing in Berkshire’s trading. Even a quiet day for BRK.B can mask significant shifts beneath the surface when giant tech and financial stocks tug the market in opposite ways.
Rates linger in the background as well. Berkshire’s insurers put premiums to work before claims hit, meaning shifts in Treasury yields affect the income generated from that cash and influence how investors value the stock.
Berkshire’s next key moment is its Form 13F — the quarterly report detailing U.S.-traded stock holdings as of the quarter’s close. While it only offers a backward glance and misses some assets, it remains the clearest public window into Berkshire’s U.S. equity portfolio.
The downside is straightforward to map out. Should Washington move from mere talk of rate caps to actual policy, card lenders and banks could face fresh losses. Berkshire, with its hefty holdings in the sector, wouldn’t be shielded if those shares drop once more.
Investors should note that the deadline for the Dec. 31, 2025 Form 13F report falls on Feb. 17, after the standard due date hits a weekend and a federal holiday causes a delay, according to SEC guidance. 3
