Berkshire Hathaway stock: OxyChem deal closes as investors size up the Abel era
NEW YORK, Jan 4, 2026, 14:01 ET — Market closed Berkshire Hathaway said on Friday it completed its acquisition of Occidental Petroleum’s chemicals business OxyChem, a $9.7 billion all-cash deal that adds a major plastics and industrial chemicals producer to the conglomerate. Business Wire The timing matters. Berkshire is entering 2026 with investors focused on how the company puts money to work after a long stretch of sitting on cash and trimming some big equity positions, even as markets remain richly valued. It also lands as Berkshire shifts from a Warren Buffett-led story to one where capital allocation and succession