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There is a specific feeling you get when you land on a brand experience that has been thoughtfully directed.

The gap between what companies report and what investors need to know is widening.

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this dealLaptops and tablets are two of the most widely used types of technology. That’s largely because both offer so much technology packed into such a small package. Regardless of whether you use a laptop or tablet for work, pleasure, or both, they provide the height of technological convenience. Thanks to a Flash deal at Walmart, you can now buy a device that’s both a laptop and a tablet at a big discount, thereby reducing your computing electronics footprint by half. The Tabwee 10-Inch AI-Enabled 2-in-1 Laptop and Tablet is on sale for only $90 right now, which is 40% off the regular $150 price tag. If you were ever going to finally start using AI on a daily basis, this is the perfect device for you.Tabwee 10-Inch AI-Enabled 2-in-1 Laptop and Tablet, $90 (was $150) at Walmart

Courtesy of Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?There’s so much to praise about this laptop, that we could write three full articles on it. For starters, it has 18 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and 128 GB of ROM built-in. You can also expand the memory to a full 2 terabytes (TB) with the use of a MicroSD card. The machine is unlikely to suffer any lag or freezing because of the ample storage space. It’s even a great pick for streaming movie and TV, as it delivers crisp images and smooth motion graphics. The 10.1-inch screen delivers 1080p resolution as well as full HD capability.The operating system used by this convenient device is the highly advanced yet user-friendly Android 15 OS. It’s one of the most intuitive operating systems you can buy, and makes generous use of AI integration. The Google Gemini interface allows the device to serve as your own personal assistant for just about any task you could need assistance with. It also has predictive technology to help get you to the programs you use most in a hurry.What’s more, this laptop and tablet combo comes with a host of accessories that makes it incredibly adaptable and useful. Included are a wraparound laptop stand and case, a wireless keyboard, a wireless mouse, a screen protector, a stylus, and even a multi-end connection cord. This is the ultimate computer for both work and pleasure. Related: Amazon is selling colorful laptops, starting at just $230Details to knowMemory: 18 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM, expandable to 2 TB.Screen size: 10.1 inches.Operating system: Android 15. Walmart customers were very happy with this computer. One called it “an amazing product,” and added that it’s “worth more than what I paid for it…It works smooth and is just really sharp looking.”Shop more deals Gleeso 2-in-1 Laptop and Tablet, $76 (was $130) at AmazonRaemond 1-in-1 Laptop and Tablet, $90 (was $140) at AmazonCoopers 2-in-1 Laptop and Tablet, $68 (was $73) at AmazonThe Tabwee 10-Inch AI-Enabled 2-in-1 Laptop and Tablet is a great device to take anywhere on the go, regardless of your usage needs. At only $90 at the moment, it’s the right machine at the right price.

A key U.S. senator warned that Kevin Warsh’s confirmation as the next head of the Federal Reserve faces a fresh delay amid a legal setback to the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into current Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average experienced the largest dip this week, falling around 1.7%.

52 returning favorites to Smorgasburg include Red Hook Lobster Pound, Raclette Street, Birria LES, Dough, Mao’s Bao, Cafecito Social, and Yakitori Tatsu.

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B) is back, but not in the way you think. For a long time, the iconic asset manager did not do buybacks. Now, it’s changing course yet again and is focusing on buybacks once more. Greg Abel, the new CEO, is leading the charge with a multimillion-dollar purchase of his own.And the timing could not be better.The reason is simple. Investors have been asking a fundamental yet basic question ever since Warren Buffett decided to step back from the podium. What’s going to happen with all the cash that has been accumulated? Berkshire resumed buying back its stock on March 4, its first buybacks since May 2024. The timing is important because Berkshire had $373.3 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and U.S. Treasury bills at the end of 2025. The amount is so large it has become a key point of discussion about the company’s investments.Berkshire’s market value stands near $1.08 trillion; that means even a small repurchase program sends a large, big red capital-allocation signal. And Abel is putting his capital behind the thesis. He ended up purchasing 21 Berkshire Class A shares for about $14.6 million, which translates to the after-tax value of his $25 million salary. The move, a significant one, lifts his holdings to 249 Class A shares worth roughly $187 million.For a while now, investors have been asking the question of whether Abel is simply a stand-in. Warren is getting on in age, and he cannot support the operations, so he brought someone in to manage the affairs just like he did, without any major difference. For investors who were unsure if Berkshire’s new CEO would stick to Buffett’s playbook or make more public moves, the answer is crystal clear. Abel isn’t just talking about the stock: he’s backing it up. “Our shareholders are owners, use their after-tax dollars to buy Berkshire, I’ll do the same,” Abel said on the occasion.

Greg Abel just made Berkshire’s biggest post-Buffett move yet.Photo by Bloomberg on Getty Images

Berkshire Hathaway buybacks put its giant cash pile back in focusFor Berkshire Hathaway, buybacks are not part of the same old clichéd routine, as they are strategically employed to enhance shareholder value and optimize the use of excess cash rather than simply following market trends.More Wall StreetBillionaire Dalio sends 2-words on Fed pick WarshTop analyst bets these stocks will boost your portfolio in 2026Bank of America sends quiet warning to stock market investorsAs a result, buybacks are never just a run-of-the-mill capital-return tool. The company does not pay a dividend, so the buybacks are closely watched by investors. These buybacks are perhaps the biggest indication that the intrinsic value of a share is above the market value, which means the pricing is off, and an opportunity exists.Related: Buffett leaves, and Berkshire investors waste no time reactingAbel told CNBC that Berkshire buys back shares when that gap exists and when the move can create long-term value for shareholders. The restart is more important because of the balance sheet. Berkshire made $46 billion in net cash flow from its operations in 2025. Its operating earnings were $44.5 billion. That was less than the $47.4 billion it made in 2024, but it was still more than Berkshire’s five-year average of $37.5 billion. In other words, Berkshire is still generating cash at a huge rate even without making a major acquisition.As a result, investors are focusing so much on capital deployment. Berkshire’s annual report also says there were no share repurchases in 2025. It also said, importantly, that  it will not repurchase stock if doing so will cut down consolidated cash, cash equivalents, and Treasury bill holdings below $30 billion. That goes to show how conservative the company is playing as Abel restarts buybacks.There is also useful historical context here. In 2024, Berkshire bought back $9.2 billion of stock, and its peak year for buybacks was 2021, when it bought back $27 billion altogether. So the current restart does matter slightly less because of immediate size and more because of what it says about Abel’s willingness to act, particularly in the context of Berkshire’s significant buyback history, which indicates a strategic approach to capital allocation and shareholder value enhancement over time. Berkshire Hathaway by the numbers$373.3 billion: Berkshire’s year-end cash pile.$44.5 billion: 2025 operating earnings.$46 billion: 2025 operating cash flow.$14.6 million: Value of Abel’s March 4 stock purchase.$187 million: Approximate value of Abel’s Berkshire stake after the purchase.$27 billion: Berkshire’s peak annual buybacks in 2021. The buyback signal is important to investors because it affects Berkshire’s stock portfolio. Berkshire had $297.8 billion in equity securities at the end of the last fiscal year. About 65% of that value was in just five companies.American Express, Apple, Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and Chevron are the five. That concentration helps explain why buying Berkshire itself can look attractive when management sees fewer compelling outside opportunities.Related: Berkshire CEO will get a salary Buffett refused for decadesThe move also comes after a weakening in overall performance. That Berkshire’s stock had dropped more than 27 percentage points since Buffett announced his retirement. Berkshire shares also experienced their largest one-day drop since that news, as some investors were dissatisfied with the company’s recent earnings. That background makes Abel’s first visible move to allocate capital more than just a symbol. It’s also an effort to boost confidence.Berkshire still faces real pressure beyond buybacksThe good news story doesn’t make Berkshire Hathaway’s troubles go away.The lawsuit in Oregon against Berkshire’s utility, PacifiCorp, is a major concern. S&P Global said that expenses from wildfires may make PacifiCorp’s credit rating drop to junk status. The utility might lose roughly $50 billion, with $1 billion already paid out and prospective payments of up to $48 billion. PacifiCorp agreed to pay $575 million in February to resolve claims from the U.S. government for damages caused by six wildfires in Oregon and California.Related: Warren Buffett Turns 85: What He Wants in a SuccessorBerkshire’s own annual report explains why such loans are essential for the company’s finances. It predicts that by the end of 2025, Berkshire Hathaway Energy will have borrowed around $59.3 billion. In 2026, Berkshire Hathaway Energy and BNSF also plan to invest nearly $15 billion on capex. That implies Abel is taking over a firm that has a lot of money but also needs a lot of money for its upcoming investments and has a lot of legal problems in important parts of the business, which could complicate its financial stability.He also gets a portfolio of legacy assets that still need time, including investments that may not pay off right now but are predicted to grow in value over time. Abel said that Berkshire did not aim to sell its 27.5% share in Kraft Heinz right away. Berkshire’s annual report verifies the ownership level and reveals that the investment’s carrying value declined dramatically from year to year.What investors should watch next at BerkshireWhether first-quarter results show a meaningful dollar amount of buybacks.Whether Abel keeps buying Berkshire shares with his own money.Whether Berkshire’s cash pile starts to shrink from the $373.3 billion level.Whether operating earnings move back toward 2024’s $47.4 billion.Whether Berkshire stock starts closing its recent gap versus the S&P 500.Berkshire buybacks timelineMarch 4, 2026: Berkshire restarted buybacks, and Abel bought about $14.6 million of Class A shares.2021: Berkshire’s annual buybacks hit a record $27 billion.2023: Berkshire repurchased $9.2 billion of stock.2025: Berkshire reported no share repurchases for the full year.Related: Greg Abel sends blunt message on Berkshire’s $370 billion cash pile

The Iran conflict threatens to enter its third week as bombings, drone strikes, and a shutdown of critical shipping corridors and industry continue. And with no end in sight, the regional war’s global implications are starting to be measured in markets.In recent days, we’ve covered some of the more pressing market stories amid promises that the conflict will be over in “four to five weeks.” But as key shipping corridors and industry remain shut in the Middle East, investors are starting to position for a prolonged conflict in the region.As Iran war is declared “very complete,” it continues with asterisksGoldman Sachs resets oil price target for rest of 2026Iran’s shocking threat to boost oil to $200Is the Middle East conflict the start of an AI “black swan” event?The result so far has been higher energy prices — U.S. WTI Crude surpassed $97 on Friday — and rising worries about the possible impacts to global food security, manufacturing, and chipmaking if the conflict were to live past the five-week shelf life laid out by President Donald Trump. There’s also been repricing in stocks, which makes sense because geopolitical uncertainty and conflict are bad for business. To dig in, we took a look at the S&P 500 for a temperature check. The index’s top and bottom 20 stocks over the last month offer some generalizations about the happenings on the ground floor of the market.What’s up?Some of this might not come as a surprise, but stocks attached to industries ensnared in the Middle East conflict have seen the most marked increase in their stock over the last month.Fertilizer companiesFertilizer maker CF Industries Holdings has been the index’s best performing stock, up 34%. In a previous story, we covered how a sizable portion of ingredients found in nitrogen fertilizers are found in the Middle East. With shipping lanes still shut, fertilizer prices stand to skyrocket just before Spring plant. Another chemical company, LyondellBasell Industries NV (#6, +23%), is also rising in sympathy.Related: It’s not just rising oil prices you’ll have to worry about if Iran conflict continuesEnergy namesThen, there’s the oil companies. The index’s second best-performer, Texas Pacific Land Corporation, counts over half of its revenue from oil & gas revenues. It has jumped nearly 29% over the last months thanks to the pop in oil prices.The bump in energy prices is also helping the industry’s stocks, with the S&P Energy Sector rising over 6.5% over the past month. Occidental Petroleum Corp (#5), APA Corporation (#7), Valero Energy (#14), EOG Resources (#19), and EQT Corp (#20) fill out the majority of the list.But absent the Iran conflict, there are some other interesting stories making the rounds in the market, too.The odd ones outThe index’s third best-performer over the last month, Moderna, is the index’s best-performing stock this year, up 28.3%. For that, it can thank a change of heart at the U.S. government’s Food and Drug Administration, plus a positive letter on its new combination Covid-19 and flu vaccine.There’s also some other surprises:Coinbase (#4): +27% as digital assets have recovered; Bitcoin is back above $71,000Netflix (#10): +19% after walking away from Warner Bros. Discovery deal, leaving competitor Paramount Skydance to buy itWhat’s down?It’s great that there are winners, but what about the losers in the market? An easy answer would be firms affected by energy or chemical prices, but there are even more reverberations from the ongoing conflict, especially with respect to the give and get of inflation and interest rates.HomebuildingThat’s best exemplified by the index’s worst performer over the period: Builders Firstsource Inc., which is down nearly 31% over the last month. Supply chain disruption could mean higher prices, which would likely preclude the U.S. from seeing lower rates this year. That’s bad news for all homebuilders, including peers like Lennar (#17, -21.4%), which made the list as mortgage rates ticked up this week. Related: Iran war causes mortgage rate surgeHowever, it’s also bad for other stocks related to the homebuilding or home improvement beat. Industrial distributor Pool Corporation (#9, -24%), building materials company CRH Plc (#16, -22.2%), Stanley Black & Decker Inc (, -22.4%), and paint company PPG Industries all made the list.Travel brandsTravel companies, which are sensitive to the fast-rising price of oil, are a hallmark on the losing side of the market. The third worst-performer on the list is Carnival Corp, down 27.9% over the last month. It’s joined by airlines Southwest (#6, -25.2%) and United (#8, -24.3%).Private credit namesFinancials have been hammered amid worries of a “private credit contagion.” The index’s fourth worst performer over the last month is Ares Management (#4, -26.2%), which has declined as up to seven unique private credit funds have restricted or slowed withdrawals, leading to worries about the safety of these high-yield, higher-risk investments.Semiconductor namesSemiconductor names such as Microchip Technology (#10, -23%) and NXP Semiconductors (#11, -23.7%) also cropped up on the bottom 20 list. This could be related to business-specific factors, but it could also be due to a gradual recognition that chipmakers could find themselves embroiled in the Iran conflict if it isn’t quickly resolved:Related: The market finally sees energy and agriculture risk in Iran — why are they ignoring a possible “AI black swan?”The odd ones outPlummeting prices for containerboard, which is commonly used for shipping boxes or packaging, are also taking a number on International Paper (#7, -24.4%) and Smurfit WestRock plc (#20, -20.5%). The second worst-performer in the index this month is Genuine Parts Company, which is down over 29% after announcing plans to split itself in two different entities. This doesn’t appear to bear anything in common with the Iran conflict, but it could have something to do with conditions in the auto marketplace. A decline in shares of Brown-Forman also appears to be more related to a years-long waning in demand for spirits, as opposed to some connection with the ongoing crisis.

When luxury retail giant Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, it did not expect to have to close so many existing stores as part of the process. But as is typical in bankruptcy proceedings, restructuring is inevitable.And with it come both expected and delayed layoffs.More than 1,200 jobs are being cut at Saks Fifth Avenue locations across the U.S. as the luxury retailer prepares to close a dozen stores as part of its reorganization plan.According to multiple Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filings submitted in March, Saks & Company plans to close multiple stores in May, resulting in permanent job cuts.Saks bankruptcy sets stage for store closuresSaks Global, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy between Jan. 13 and 14, listing assets and liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion. TheStreet’s Kirk O’Neil previously covered the Saks bankruptcy in “Missed payments send huge retailer into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.”More Layoffs:Walgreens widens job cuts amid store closuresUPS clears major legal hurdle amid job cutsLayoffs in January reach recession-era levelsO’Neil reported that the bankruptcy followed years of mounting debt and the inability to pay lenders, combined with liquidity constraints that prevented Saks from acquiring new inventory.Another major factor was Saks’ $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus in 2024, which marked the beginning of a period of unsustainable capital expenditures and liquid holdings.

Several new Saks Fifth Avenue locations closed in March.anouchka/Getty Images

Luxury retail faces shifting consumer demandThis bankruptcy highlights a growing problem in the luxury sector, one where the retailers are grappling with a new reality: the rapid rise of resale.A McKinsey analysis projects that the global fashion industry “will once again post low single-digit growth in 2026.” The trend is driven by macroeconomic volatility, especially in the U.S., where consumer sentiment has been low this past year due to tariffs, uncertainty, and inflation.High prices pose a significant hurdle for aspirational customers of luxury items; thus, luxury executives continue to revamp product offerings, resetting after a sustained period of price-led growth.Amid this restructuring is an emerging resale market, forecast to grow “three times faster than the firsthand market through 2027.” This underlines a growing opportunity for the brands to build loyalty with “existing shoppers and drive purchases with aspirational shoppers looking for more accessible price points.” Fears that resale can “cannibalize” first-time purchases lack any data support, the research also highlights.A Deloitte Global Powers of Luxury 2026 report notes that technology and value creation will redefine luxury in the next five years. According to the research, executives rank artificial intelligence (31.7%) and innovation in materials and production (22.6%) as the most transformative forces shaping this future.Layoffs tied to Saks closuresOne of the largest workforce reductions for Saks in March will take place in Pottsville, Penn., where a Saks facility is expected to lay off 435 employees as the location shuts down.Several Saks Fifth Avenue stores across the country are also preparing to close, affecting dozens of workers in each market.Notices for these were issued on March 6, with separations expected to occur between May 6 and May 31, and the company has indicated that all closures are permanent.Saks noted three location closures in California this month, including stores in Canoga Park, Costa Mesa, and Palm Desert, affecting more than 230 workers combined.March Layoffs tied to Saks store closures total 1,226 and include:St Louis, Missouri: 65 Chevy Chase, Maryland: 75 Raleigh, North Carolina: 43Las Vegas, Nevada: 70Beachwood, Ohio: 70Sarasota, Florida: 66McLean, Virginia: 70Chicago, Illinois: 101Canoga Park, California: 97Palm Desert, California: 58Costa Mesa, California: 76Pottsville, Pennsylvania: 435You can see the list of operational stores here.The layoffs also come at a time when the broader U.S. labor market shows signs of strain.According to the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics February nonfarm payrolls report, 92,000 jobs were lost, with decreases in health care and information, and the federal government reporting a larger decrease than other sectors.The unemployment rate holds steady at 4.4%.Related: Retail layoffs hit 150-year-old food company’s Texas plant