Beneath the grand chandeliers of the International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, at rooftop bars and at private parties at billionaires’ mansions, there was a mix of emotions among the financial titans gathered in Los Angeles this week. Many of the thousands of attendees at the Milken Institute Global Conference — a who’s who
Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by Warren E. Buffett, reported a sharp drop in first-quarter earnings on Saturday as the company felt the effects of a declining stock market and braced for potential hits from President Trump’s trade policies. The company reported $9.6 billion in operating income, Mr. Buffett’s preferred measure, down 14 percent from
Stocks rose on Thursday, extending a two-day rally as investors hope for an easing of President Trump’s trade wars and weigh comments on its impact from a Federal Reserve official. The S&P 500 gained more than 1 percent after stalling in early trading. The index has seesawed this week: Monday saw a sharp sell-off, followed
There are not many certainties in the world of money, but this traditionally has been one of them: When life turns scary, people take refuge in American government bonds. Investors buy U.S. Treasuries on the assumption that, come what may — financial panic, war, natural disaster — the federal government will endure and stand by
Investors around the globe this week sent President Trump a clear message about his new tariff policy, announced triumphantly as a remaking of the economic order. They don’t like it. The S&P 500 fell 6 percent on Friday, bringing its losses for the week to 9.1 percent. Stocks hadn’t fallen this far this fast since
Shares in automakers around the world wobbled on Thursday after President Trump announced plans to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported cars and some parts beginning next week. The stocks of major Detroit carmakers, which build some of their vehicles in Canada and Mexico, were rattled on Wall Street. Shares in General Motors, which
President Trump made a lot of promises on the campaign trail last year. Investors and business leaders enthusiastically cheered some, like lower taxes and relaxed regulation, and expressed wariness about others, like tariffs and reduced immigration. But when Mr. Trump won the election, there was little sign of that ambivalence: Stock prices soared, as did