Pre-Market Brief | Monday, August 10, 2026
Research Desk · August 10, 2026
Berkshire bought stocks last quarter for the first time in three and a half years. Futures are close to flat. Wednesday's inflation print settles the rate argument.
Where Futures Sit
S&P 500 futures up about 0.1 percent. Nasdaq 100 futures up about 0.3 percent. Dow futures slightly negative.
The VIX sits near 15.5.
Last week did the heavy lifting. The S&P 500 closed at a record, up roughly 3.5 percent, with the Nasdaq 100 up about 5 percent.
Macro Pulse
No major US data today. July CPI lands Wednesday at 8:30 AM ET, PPI Thursday, retail sales Friday.
Brent crude is near $84. Iran says a Hormuz transit deal with Oman is in its final stages, with any reopening tied to other conditions.
The Fed held at 3.50 to 3.75 percent on July 29, with three regional presidents dissenting in favor of a hike. Then July payrolls showed a loss of 23,000 jobs. The ten-year yield sits near 4.60 percent.
Tickers To Watch
BRK.B: Q2 results showed the pivot. Details below.
SMCI: Up 3.4 percent premarket to $32.19. Reports Tuesday.
GOOGL: Now inside Berkshire's top five holdings.
B, FERG: Report before the bell.
RKLB, ASTS, SPG: All report after the close.
CSCO, CRWV, AMAT: Later this week. They set the AI spending tone.
Stock Highlight: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B)
Berkshire was a net seller of stocks for 14 straight quarters. That ended in Q2.
Greg Abel put nearly $20 billion of net new money into equities and repurchased $4.53 billion of stock, the largest buyback since 2021. Cash and short-term Treasuries fell to $364.7 billion from roughly $380 billion.
In plain English: for three years Berkshire was a homeowner with the mortgage paid off, the savings account full, and no interest in shopping. T-bills paid over 4 percent, so waiting cost nothing.
That homeowner just put money down on a second property.
The other side: it happened with the S&P at a record, and the cash left over still earns a comfortable yield doing nothing.
Bottom Line
A slow Monday sits in front of a loud Wednesday.
The lesson is not what Berkshire bought. It is that Berkshire got paid over 4 percent to wait 14 quarters, then moved when it had a reason.
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