In what appears to be a bet consumers will stick with discount retailers even after the economy rebounds, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway increased its Wal-Mart holdings by almost 90 percent during the summer.  It added almost 18 million shares, currently worth almost $1 billion, in the third quarter.   Read More

Alice Schroeder's authorized biography of Warren Buffett is now available in a trade paperback edition.  In an "updated and condensed" version of The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Schroeder adds a new 31-page chapter covering events after the hardcover's publication last year.  She candidly describes how Buffett made a "series of characteristic brilliant moves interspersed with some surprising errors" as the financial crisis unfolded. With thanks to Bantam and Random House, here is an excerpt from Schroeder's new material.   Read More

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway was doing more selling than buying of stocks during the second quarter, but there is one new holding: New Jersey-based medical technology company Becton Dickinson.  Berkshire also added to its stake in Johnson & Johnson, although the holdings are still well below where they were before Buffett sold over 33 million shares last fall.   Read More

It’s a unique call, to say the least, but the numbers don’t lie.   Read More

The Lightning Round is extended in this CNBC.com exclusive feature.   Read More