Weekend, big news—explosive!

As soon as this data was released, the probability of a rate hike in September immediately dropped: Currently, the chance of a hike stands at 44.4%, while the likelihood of no hike has risen to 55.6%... Frankly, many people probably find this data hard to believe—but that’s exactly how it’s being played. The 'Expectations Management Master' has already laid out his current playbook: Earlier, amid a tech rally, he stoked rate-hike expectations—to stabilize the dollar, crush gold prices, and nearly halve South Korea’s market… When its own tech sector plunged, he promptly reversed course: halted military tensions with North Korea, and deliberately weakened the data. Now, the wind of rate cuts is rapidly picking up. The Taiwan Strait ‘switch’, the Nonfarm Payrolls ‘switch’… all manner of ‘switches’ are fine-tuning the indices—without spending a single cent, yet steering market indices with surgical precision. Truly, expectations management at the master level—absolutely awe-inspiring. Berkshire Hathaway has also stepped in! On the evening of August 8, Berkshire released its latest earnings report, showing: • Q2 2026 operating profit reached $12.983 billion, up 16% year-on-year; • Net income attributable to shareholders totaled $25.667 billion, surging over 107% YoY; • H1 2026 operating profit amounted to $24.329 billion, up ~17% YoY; • H1 2026 net income reached $35.773 billion, up ~111% YoY. Berkshire’s sharp Q2 net income growth was primarily driven by investment gains. The report shows after-tax investment income for Q2 totaled $12.684 billion—a 155% YoY surge—including ~$10.9 billion in after-tax unrealized gains from its equity portfolio and ~$1.8 billion in after-tax realized investment income. Its cash reserves hit a record $397 billion in Q1, then declined to $365.5 billion in Q2—a $31.5 billion deployment in one go. Berkshire has clearly pivoted! The $31.5 billion was allocated across three initiatives: • $4.5 billion in share repurchases—up 20-fold versus Q1’s $0.2 billion; • $20 billion invested in Google—adding aggressively at elevated levels; • $6.8 billion in an all-cash acquisition of Taylor Morrison—betting squarely on the U.S. housing recovery.

Mastercard (MA) – September 11, 2026

Mastercard Incorporated (MA): One-Sentence Profile The world’s second-largest payment network (a duopoly with Visa), operating a pure-network model augmented by value-added services. Market cap: $496.6 billion; current price: $569.20—down ~5% from its all-time closing high of $599.86 on August 24. Key Metrics (TTM; last five fiscal years) Metric FY2021 FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 FY2025 FY2026* (Latest TTM) YoY 3-Year CAGR Revenue N/A $22.24B $25.10B $28.17B $32.79B $35.08B +16.0% +14.1% Gross Margin* N/A 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% +0.0 pp +0.0 pp Net Margin N/A 44.7% 44.6% 45.7% 45.6% 46.3% +1.4 pp +3.0 pp Operating Cash Flow N/A $11.20B $11.98B $14.78B $17.65B $17.44B +2.9% +14.6% Free Cash Flow N/A $10.75B $11.61B $14.31B $17.16B $16.70B +0.9% +14.4% ROE 124.7% 144.0% 167.4% 190.6% 209.9% 241.2% +31.3 pp +73.8 pp ROIC 73.2% 76.8% 85.2% 89.6% 93.6% 93.8% +0.2 pp +8.6 pp Debt-to-Assets Ratio 80.3% 83.5% 83.5% 86.4% 85.7% 90.3% +5.6 pp +4.6 pp Shares Outstanding 980M 960M 930M 910M 890M 880M −3.2% −2.4% Trend Highlights: TTM revenue up +16.0% (Q1’26 +16%, Q2’26 +14% per reported figures); Value-Added Services (VAS) grew +20%—the key growth engine; net margin rose to 46.3%, the highest in five years; free cash flow (FCF) over the past four quarters is nearly flat (+0.9%), diverging from revenue growth—largely due to one-off items in Q1’26 (restructuring expenses + timing effects from rebates/working capital), plus minimal litigation provisions in Q2’26 (~$80 million). This does not signal underlying operational deterioration.

Mativ Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: MATV) Q2 Profit and Cash Flow Rise

Aug 5, 2026

Mativ Holdings posted strong Q2 2026 results with $531.8 million in net sales and $3.6 million GAAP net income, reversing a prior-year loss. Record adjusted EBITDA hit $75.0 million with a new quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share.

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2026-05-07

Mativ Holdings Q1 2026 Earnings Beat EPS Forecast, Stock Rises

2026-05-08

Mativ Holdings Swings Back To Quarterly Loss And Renews Earnings Volatility Debate

2026-05-10

Mativ Announces First Quarter 2026 Results

2026-05-11

Mativ Holdings: A Speculative Buy On Improving Fundamentals (NYSE:MATV)

2026-05-11

Mativ Holdings Reports Q1 2026 Earnings Results