Another reason for the small rise in the share count over the decades is that Buffett refuses to issue stock options, restricted stock or any other stock compensation to employees or directors. He has never done so. Everyone at Berkshire gets paid in cash.

Berkshire Hathaway has been secretly building a $4.7B stock position for two quarters. Analysts suspect a “wide moat” industrial company, with Lockheed Martin among the top guesses.

Housing experts weigh in on the state of mortgage rates and how the Federal Reserve may provide some relief by the end of the year.