Warren Buffett's company will sell its stakes in Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads before it completes its $26.3 billion acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad.

As CEO and primary shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK), Warren Buffett, the world's most famous investor, has developed a well-known reputation of buying big stakes in companies he believes in. When Buffett buys shares of a company for BRK, the markets translate his moves as a vote of confidence for a firm's continued success. Although Berkshire Hathaway's holdings change, the company's most recent SEC filings* reveal where the Oracle of Omaha is most heavily invested. Here are the 15 publicly traded stocks, by value, that are the biggest holdings of Berkshire Hathaway.

From corn to coal, more than 40 percent of the freight hauled throughout the United States is handled by rail. The top four carriers are Union Pacific Corp, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp, CSX Corp, and Norfolk Southern Corp.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc will pay $26 billion to buy out Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp in a bet the nation's largest rail company will benefit from a recovering U.S. economy.

By Nick Zieminski

Stocks advanced Thursday as investors seemed to focus more on some big-name earnings beats and a rise in leading indicators instead of a disappointing jobless report. Travelers and MMM led the Dow.

Stocks advanced Thursday as investors seemed to focus more on some big-name earnings beats and a rise in leading indicators instead of a disappointing jobless report.

Stocks slipped Thursday as investors weighed a disappointing jobless-claims report and some encouraging earnings reports.

Earnings continue to come in largely above expectations, but other factors are waylaying the stock market's recent advances - ranging from Walmart's price cuts to analyst Richard Bove's downgrade of Wells Fargo to rising oil prices. 

Believe it or not, the economy will recover. Cramer’s good news, which he shares in his new book, Getting Back to Even, is that “sooner is actually a whole lot more likely than later.” If that’s the case, then investors should know how to play it. Luckily for them, Cramer pulled together 12 stocks that he thinks will most benefit from an economic rebound. Check out the slide show to find out which market bellwethers made the cut.

The Dow topped 9,000 for the first time since January as investors shrugged off a rise in jobless claims and cheered earnings from Ford and 3M. A third straight rise in existing-home sales also buoyed the market.

The Dow topped 9,000 for the first time since January as investors shrugged off a rise in jobless claims and cheered earnings from Ford and 3M. A third straight rise in existing-home sales also buoyed the market.

Stocks rallied Thursday as investors shrugged off a rise in jobless claims and focused on encouraging earnings from Ford and 3M. A third straight rise in existing-home sales also buoyed the market.

Futures indicated a slightly higher open for Wall Street Thursday ahead of another vast amount of earnings reports.