Buffett Boost for Japanese Stocks

Buffett Boost for Japanese Stocks

Shares of Japan’s five largest trading houses surged up to 9% after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway [BRK-B] signaled plans to increase its stakes and hold them for “many decades”, the Financial Times reported. Mitsubishi [MSBHF] led gains at nearly 9%, followed by Marubeni [MARUY], Sumitomo [SSUMY], Itochu [ITOCY] and Mitsui [MITSY]. Berkshire’s holdings, initially acquired for $13.8bn, have now soared to a market value of $23.5bn. 

Nvidia Sales Surge in China

As demand rises for DeepSeek’s low-cost artificial intelligence (AI) models, Reuters reported, Chinese tech giants Tencent [TCEHY], Alibaba [BABA] and ByteDance have ramped up orders for Nvidia’s [NVDA] H20 AI chips, tailored for the Chinese under US export restrictions. Meanwhile, Huawei has reportedly doubled the yield of its latest AI chips to nearly 40%, marking a breakthrough in China’s semiconductor push, according to the Financial Times. 

Nuclear Stocks Drop on MSFT Concerns

Shares of nuclear stocks Constellation Energy [CEG], Vistra [VST] and Talen Energy [TLN] fell Monday after TD Cowen analysts reported that Microsoft [MSFT] is canceling leases for “a couple hundred” MWs of US data center capacity. According to Seeking Alpha, the move may signal concerns the company is building too much AI infrastructure. Microsoft, however, downplayed the report, reaffirming its $80bn infrastructure spending plans for the fiscal year.

HIMS Weight Loss Pivot Bears Fruit

Hims & Hers [HIMS] reported strong Q4 results, with adjusted EBITDA hitting $54m at an 11% margin, driven by GLP-1 and personalized treatments. CEO Andrew Dudum highlighted the company’s expansion into lab testing and peptide therapy to enhance personalization. With 2.2 million subscribers, management guided Q1 2025 revenue of $520m–540m. Read OPTO’s deep dive into this dynamic stock.

Will This Crypto Wobble Get Worse?

Bitcoin dropped below $90,000 on Tuesday, hitting $88,424 — the lowest level since mid-November — amid broader crypto weakness. Major altcoins also fell, with solana plunging 15.1% and ether down 12.4% to $2,385.51. The selloff follows renewed global trade tensions and a $1.5bn security breach at crypto exchange Bybit, which saw hackers drain assets from its ethereum cold wallet.

Tesla Launches FSD in China

The electric vehicle maker [TSLA] has begun rolling out a driver-assistance software update in China, bringing features similar to Full Self-Driving in the US. The system, initially available on HW 4.0-equipped Model Y and Model 3 vehicles, enables navigation on city streets, recognizing signals, making turns and handling lane changes, Bloomberg outlined. Tesla plans to expand availability gradually.

What Does Buffett’s Cash Pile Mean for BRK Stock?

In his famous annual letter, Warren Buffett attempted to reassure investors after his Berkshire Hathaway [BRK-B] fund’s Q4 earnings showed its cash holdings increased to record levels in the quarter. BRK-B is up a healthy 19.46% for the 12 months to February 24’s close. OPTO unpacks the stock’s recent performance, as well is its medium-term potential to carry on outperforming.