Core Insights - The final reading for the 2025 holiday shopping season indicated flat retail sales at $735.0 billion, missing the expected 0.5% increase, with a year-over-year growth of 2.4% against a 2.7% rise in the Consumer Price Index, suggesting weak real spending momentum [1][10] Retail Performance Analysis - Large U.S. retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Alibaba are under pressure due to disappointing year-end sales, impacting profit margins and earnings, which raises concerns for retail ETFs that include these companies [2] - The stagnation in December retail sales was attributed to several economic factors, including persistent inflation, economic uncertainty, early promotions that pulled sales forward, and a K-shaped consumer behavior where higher-income households remained stable while lower-income households reduced spending [4][5][6][7] Future Outlook - The retail sector's recovery depends on moderating inflation and a rebounding U.S. economy, with expectations for gradual improvement in real consumer spending if demand stabilizes and retailers manage costs effectively [8][9] - Analysts project U.S. retail sales to grow by 3.5% year-over-year in 2026, with inflation anticipated to remain between 2.6% and 3.0% [11] Retail ETFs Spotlight - **State Street SPDR S&P Retail ETF (XRT)**: AUM of $681.4 million, exposure to 73 companies, gained 10.2% over the past year, charges 35 bps in fees [12][13] - **VanEck Retail ETF (RTH)**: AUM of $265.2 million, exposure to 26 companies, rallied 9.5% over the past year, charges 35 bps in fees [14] - **ProShares Online Retail ETF (ONLN)**: Net asset value of $52.84 million, exposure to 20 online retail stocks, gained 3% over the past year, charges 58 bps in fees [15] - **Amplify Online Retail ETF (IBUY)**: AUM of $124.5 million, exposure to 81 companies in online retail, charges 65 bps in fees [16]

Core Viewpoint - Berkshire Hathaway sold 77% of its Amazon stake in Q4, indicating a significant reduction in its investment before Warren Buffett stepped back as CEO [1] Group 1: Investment Actions - Berkshire Hathaway sold 7,724,000 shares of Amazon, reducing its holdings from 10 million shares to 2,276,000 shares valued at $525 million [1] - The initial investment in Amazon was made in 2019, with shares valued at approximately $930 million, which expanded to about $2.1 billion by Q3 of the previous year [1] Group 2: Management and Strategy - The sale of Amazon shares was managed by investment managers, not Warren Buffett himself, suggesting that the decision may not reflect Buffett's personal views [1] - Todd Combs, one of the investment managers linked to tech investments, resigned from Berkshire in December, which may have influenced the timing of the Amazon sale [1] Group 3: Company Performance - Amazon Web Services achieved a $142 billion annual revenue run-rate, with growth at its fastest pace in three years, indicating strong performance in the cloud sector [1] - Amazon plans to invest $200 billion in capital expenditures this year, focusing on data centers and AI infrastructure, which highlights its commitment to growth in these areas [1] Group 4: Market Outlook - Amazon's stock has declined 13% in 2026, particularly after a Q4 earnings report that showed slower-than-expected growth, making the sale appear timely [1] - Analysts project Amazon's revenue to reach $805 billion in 2026, with operating margins at 14.4%, and average price targets of $287 per share, indicating a potential upside of 44% [1]

4, 2025 at 12:42 PM EDT The stock market's plunge in April was brought on by fear, even panic, of being caught in a downward spiral.…]## Walmart and Costco Are 1/3 of XLP's Defensive Portfolio, Creating A Huge Risk For A Defensive Holding[Michael Williams | 1 hour ago The consumer staples sector exists because people need to eat, clean, and maintain routines regardless of what the economy does.…]## Watch February Earnings From NVIDIA and Microsoft to Predict Where This Mag7 ETF Goes Next[Michael Williams | ...

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. slashed its holding in Amazon.com Inc. by more than 75% in the fourth quarter, while also building a stake in the New York Times Co. — Warren Buffett’s last new bet as chief executive officer. The conglomerate acquired 5.1 million shares of the media publishing company in the three months through December, a stake worth $351.7 million at year-end, according to a regulatory filing Tuesday. Berkshire first bought a stake in Amazon in 2019. Buffett, 95, said at the time that despite ...

This is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.Happy Wednesday. I've been craving birria since reading about the Mike's Red Tacos new franchising plan.Stock futures are higher this morning. The three major indexes all ended yesterday's session little changed.Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:1. Delivery troublesThe logo and lettering of online retailer Amazon can be seen on the façade of Amazon Germany's headquarters. ...

Billionaires tend to know their way around an investment strategy, so when someone like “Shark Tank” star investor and all-around money expert Mark Cuban says to avoid a company, you might want to take stock. Case in point, he has been increasingly vocal about why he avoids investing in companies that depend heavily on Amazon for their sales. In fact, Cuban posted on X, “When I look at investing in companies, if you have any level of dependency on Amazon, it’s a negative.” Here are just a few reasons why ...

5,258,842+$14.58+5.06%$303.01[Enphase Energy][ENPH]• Vol: 6,112,270+$2.15+4.94%$45.64[New Pluto Global][PSKY]• Vol: 13,681,115+$0.51+4.94%$10.83## Top Losing Stocks[Genuine Parts][GPC]• Vol: 4,107,564-$21.4214.56%$125.74[Allegion][ALLE]• Vol: 2,285,641-$16.839.38%$162.67[Leidos] [LDOS]• Vol: 2,595,907-$14.778.38%$161.53[Vulcan Materials][VMC]• Vol: 2,068,251-$25.437.76%$302.22[FactSet Research Systems][FDS]• Vol: 1,453,434-$15.737.64%$190.06 Why Did Buffett Dump Amazon? - 24/7 Wall St.[S&P 5006,872.60 +0.30 ...

Listen on the go! A daily podcast of Wall Street Breakfast will be available by 8:00 a.m. on Seeking Alpha, iTunes, Spotify.Getty Images Good morning! Here's the latest in trending:AI moves: Meta (META) will deploy millions of Nvidia (NVDA) chips for its AI infrastructure. Meanwhile, Nvidia exited Arm Holdings (ARM).13F review: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) reveals new bet on New York Times (NYT) and slashes Amazon (AMZN) stake.Trade deal: Japan is set to invest up to $36B in oil, gas and cri ...

Warren Buffett's Final Clues for Investors: What Berkshire Stock Moves Say - Barron'sSkip to Main ContentThis copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.# Warren Buffett Just Left His Final Clues for Investors. What Berkshire's Stock Moves Say.By [Callum Keown]ShareResize ...

Markets have been volatile, with the S&P 500 ending 0.1 per cent higher on Tuesday after falling as much ‌as 0.9 per cent ⁠early in the ⁠session. The Nasdaq and the Dow also saw similar reversals. Wall Street's main indexes have been rocked this month by worries of disruption ​from rapidly improving AI tools that hit sectors from software to trucking.Broader AI-linked and megacap technology stocks had also lost ​ground as investors looked for stronger evidence the heavy investments in the technology were t ...