It's not difficult to find stocks likely to go up if the tariff dispute is resolved with a series of trade deals, but what if you want to be a bit defensive and buy some stocks with relatively less exposure to potential tariffs or even some upside exposure? Where better to look for them than among Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway holdings?

Here's why beverage king Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), building materials maker Louisiana-Pacific (NYSE: LPX), and swimming pool specialist Pool Corp. (NASDAQ: POOL) are worth buying right now to diversify a portfolio.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Why $8,100 in stocks?

Appreciating that $8,100 is an odd figure, it was selected because the average 40-year-old investor has roughly $162,000 in stocks, and a position in one of these stocks of $8,100 would be equivalent to about 5% of the total portfolio. That's a decent amount to buy a little "insurance."

Coca-Cola remains a longtime Buffett holding

The main drawing points of Coca-Cola, the perennial Warren Buffett holding, are its 2.8% dividend yield and relative safety in the current market. As management outlined on an earnings call in February, Coca-Cola tends to produce and sell locally. As such, it's relatively insulated from the impact of cross-border tariffs.

In addition, its exposure to increased packaging costs -- from, say, tariffs on aluminum -- isn't significant, as the metal is only a small part of its cost component. Its core sparkling soft drink business is also relatively immune to an economic slowdown. It all adds up to make Coca-Cola a safe place to park money in the current environment.

Louisiana-Pacific could be a net winner from tariffs

Louisiana-Pacific, which specializes in engineered wood siding and oriented strand board (OSB), has a bit more complicated relationship with tariffs. CEO William Southern argues that OSB is a "traded commodity." In plain English, that means there's no brand loyalty with OSB, and its pricing is heavily influenced by the costs of wood fiber and resin. As such, increases in tariff costs will feed through into higher prices across the industry.

Its engineered wood siding business sources wood fiber from the U.S. and Canada, and it will be affected by any tariffs placed on Canadian wood fiber. Still, Louisiana-Pacific has two engineered wood siding mills in Canada from which it could potentially increase production for the Canadian market.

Meanwhile, it can produce more in the U.S. from its mills there. In addition, if significant tariffs are placed on Canadian wood fiber, it's likely that the price of its engineered wood siding would rise significantly, and the company's ability to source and produce in the U.S. could be a major plus. While President Trump hasn't imposed a new tariff on Canadian softwood yet, plans are in progress , and Louisiana-Pacific could be a net winner.

In the longer-term view, engineered wood siding can grab more market share from alternatives such as vinyl and fiber cement, and at some point, new housing starts -- its key end market -- will surely start to grow again.

Pool is more resilient than you might think

Pool Corp., the wholesale distributor of pool equipment, is a surprisingly resilient business. While new pool construction is down 50% from the pandemic-induced boom in spending on the home, and management expects new pool construction in 2025 to be flat with 2024, almost 65% of its sales go to the more stable market for maintenance and minor repairs.

That helps to support sales in a slowing discretionary spending environment. In addition, note that the 60,000 new pool units expected this year in the U.S. still represent growth in the installed base of pools, which Pool Corp. could potentially sell into.

Turning to the issue of tariffs, back in February, CFO Melanie Hart said that "we do not have a significant amount of direct imports" and "do not anticipate that the currently enacted additional tariffs from China will have a material impact on sales for 2025."

While tariffs on Chinese products are significantly higher than in February, the "vast majority" of Pool's products are still "purchased domestically," she said. What's less clear is the knock-on impact on costs from its suppliers as they suffer increased costs from tariffs. Naturally, Pool will try to pass them on with price increases, but it's not clear how consumers might react.

Still, the company has good long-term growth prospects, largely because of ongoing pool maintenance spending and an eventual recovery in new pool construction growth.

Three Buffett stocks to buy

While all three stocks face some headwinds in 2025, Berkshire Hathaway and Buffett's focus is on the long term, and demand for things like soft drinks, engineered wood siding, and pool products is likely to be a feature of the economy for many years to come.

Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?

Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Coca-Cola wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $591,533!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $652,319!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 859% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 158% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

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Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Investing in the stock market can seem like a daunting task. There are so many options available. Making matters worse, there's so much uncertainty in the air these days with tariffs and their potential impact on the economy and stock market.

If you're feeling nervous about stocks and picking individual ones, one solution is to invest in a top exchange-traded fund (ETF). These investment vehicles can provide broad exposure to the market's long-term upside with less risk. A simple one to start with is the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEMKT: SCHD). It holds a portfolio of high-quality dividend stocks that can provide investors with a tangible return during uncertain times in the form of dividend income. For example, investing $1,000 into this fund would at its current payout produce about $40 of dividend income each year. That's only part of the draw, which is why it's such a great fund to buy right now.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

Turning cash into cash flow

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has a very simple strategy. It tracks an index (Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index) that screens companies based on the quality of their dividends and financial profiles. The result is a list of 100 companies with higher dividend yields, strong dividend growth rates, and healthy financial profiles.

For example, the fund's top holding is Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). The beverage giant currently has a dividend yield of nearly 3%, which is about double the yield of the broader market (the S&P 500's dividend yield is less than 1.5%). Coca-Cola increased its dividend payment by 5.2% earlier this year. That marked the 63rd consecutive year it increased its dividend. It's part of the elite group of Dividend Kings, companies with 50 or more years of annual dividend growth. The company backs its dividend with strong free cash flow and a top-notch balance sheet.

At the fund's annual rebalancing last month, its holdings had an average dividend yield of 3.8%. That yield has crept up as the stock market (and the ETF's value) has declined in recent weeks and is now up over 4%. At that rate, a $1,000 investment in the fund would produce more than $40 of annual passive income.

Meanwhile, the current group of holdings has delivered an average dividend growth rate of 8.4% over the past five years. Because of that, the ETF should steadily pay out more cash as its holdings continue increasing their payouts:

SCHD Dividend data by YCharts

Dividend income is only part of the draw

The likely growing stream of dividend income supplied by the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF provides investors with a solid base cash return. While the payment will ebb and flow each quarter based on when the underlying companies make their dividend payments, it should continue to steadily head higher as they grow their dividends. Given the strength of their financial profiles, these companies should continue increasing their payouts even if there's a recession.

That rising income stream is only part of the return. The share prices of the companies held by the fund should increase in the future as they grow their earnings in support of their rising dividends.

Over the long term, dividend growth stocks have historically produced excellent total returns. According to data from Hartford Funds and Ned Davis Research, dividend growers and initiators have delivered an average annual return of 10.2% over the past 50 years. That has outperformed companies with no change in their dividend policy (6.8%), non-dividend payers (4.3%), and dividend cutters and eliminators (-0.9%).

The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF has delivered similarly strong returns throughout its history. It has produced an 11.4% annualized return over the past decade and 12.9% since its inception in 2011. While there's no guarantee it will earn returns at those levels in the future, its focus on the top dividend growth stocks puts it in an excellent position to continue delivering strong returns for investors.

A great fund to buy right now

With the stock market slumping this year, shares of the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF are down about 15% from the high point earlier in the year. That's a great entry point for this high-quality fund. It positions investors to generate lots of dividend income while potentially capturing strong total returns over the long term.

Should you invest $1,000 in Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF right now?

Before you buy stock in Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $591,533!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $652,319!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 859% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 158% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2025

Matt DiLallo has positions in Coca-Cola and Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

AI company Perplexity announced in February that it was building its own browser called Comet. In a recent interview with the TBPN podcast, CEO Aravind Srinivas gave some insight as to why the business appeared to be branching out from its artificial intelligence focus: It's to collect user data and sell them targeted advertisements.

"That’s kind of one of the other reasons we wanted to build a browser, is we want to get data even outside the app to better understand you," he said. “We plan to use all the context to build a better user profile and, maybe you know, through our discover feed we could show some ads there.”

If that all sounds familiar, it could be become Google's Chrome browser has taken a similar approach. In fact, Comet is built on Chromium, the open-source browser base from Google. That's not to say Perplexity wouldn't take the chance to go straight to the source and acquire Chrome in the aftermath of Google's recent monopoly court ruling regarding online search. In the ongoing hearings about Google and its potential sale of Chrome, Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said he thought Perplexity would be able to continue running the browser at its current scale. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't too keen on OpenAI acquiring the property.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/perplexity-is-building-a-browser-in-part-to-collect-customer-data-for-targeted-ads-230132091.html?src=rss

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© ASSOCIATED PRESS

Razer has unveiled two new iterations of its Pro Click mouse with an eye toward comfort. The Pro Click V2 is a standard mouse model, while the Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition is the first vertical mouse design from the company. More and more peripheral manufacturers are offering vertical designs, which can be a more ergonomic mouse option, particularly if you experience discomfort when spending long stretches at a computer.

The Pro Click V2 Vertical Edition has eight programmable buttons and promises a battery life of up to six months. It has a 71.7 degree tilt, so a user holds it in a handshake-like grip, which can reduce strain for long use sessions. There's also a support on the base that aims to cut down on wrist friction. This model retails for $120. 

The standard Pro Click V2 model costs $100. It has an additional ninth button but its battery life is only up to 3.5 months. It has a slight angle of 30 degrees for a more natural grip. 

RGB lighting has long been a hallmark of Razer's products, and whether you love it or love to hate it, that colorful visual signature is present on both mice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/razer-has-a-vertical-mouse-now-183226307.html?src=rss

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© Razer

Motorola has introduced a new smartwatch to its Moto Things branded lifestyle collection. The Moto Watch Fit is due to become available in North America in the coming months, but the company has not released specific dates or pricing information yet.

The smartwatch has a 1.9-inch OLED display that reaches up to 1,000 nits of brightness, while the rest of the frame is made of aluminum. Motorola promises an impressive "16-day battery life on just one single charge." The watch also has solid durability with Gorilla Glass 3 and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The Moto Watch Fit has more than 100 sports modes and lives up to the "fit" in its name with features such as advanced heart rate monitoring, calorie tracking and sleep data.

Its other features are pretty standard for an Android-compatible smartwatch. The wearable can execute basic features for controlling a smartphone, like skipping a music track or checking notifications. It comes with a forest green fabric band that has a yellow stripe down the middle, but you can also customize it with 22mm bands from third-party companies.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/motorola-introduces-the-no-frills-moto-watch-fit-160030585.html?src=rss

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© Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Microsoft promised in a strange ad campaign last year that it would bring Xbox Game Pass to more than just its own gaming brand's hardware thanks to Xbox Cloud Gaming. One of the previously announced platforms that it said would gain the ability to run Xbox Game Pass was smart TVs from LG. Today, LG announced that the Xbox app will begin rolling out to a collection of its smart TVs in 25 countries this week.

The Xbox app is compatible with select LG screens and monitors. According to the press release, the available models include "2022 OLED TVs, 2023 OLED, QNED, NanoCell and UHD TVs…which have been updated to software version 23.20.01 or higher." It will also be made available at a later date on LG's StanbyME screens. Once downloaded, the app allows members of the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription to stream select titles they already own or to access titles from the Game Pass library.

LG is the latest electronics manufacturer to offer the Xbox experience without the need to physically own an Xbox. Samsung has already done the same, and Amazon's Fire TV also has an Xbox app.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/xbox/lg-smart-tvs-are-getting-xbox-game-pass-this-week-200422697.html?src=rss

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© LG Electronics USA

Google is under the microscope following a court ruling last year that it has a monopoly over online search, but the future of its vast suite of digital services is still uncertain at this stage. Last month, the Justice Department suggested that Google would need to sell off the Chrome browser; if the tech giant does make that move, there's already at least one interested buyer.

Bloomberg reports that Nick Turley, head of ChatGPT, spoke at a hearing today about the Google monopoly situation and was asked whether OpenAI would be interested in acquiring Chrome. “Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” he said. Users can currently use the ChatGPT AI assistant in Chrome through a plugin, but Turley said there could be deeper integrations if OpenAI owned the browser. Under OpenAI's hypothetical ownership, Chrome could "introduce users into what an AI first experience looks like."

Chrome isn't the only property Google may lose control over. A separate judge determined earlier this month that Google has also been engaged in anti-competitive behavior over online ad tech. It's no surprise that any other major tech operation would be interested in acquiring one of the many popular services Google has developed over the years. The real question is which one of them landing a purchase wouldn't create a new monopoly. For now, the DOJ is allowing Google to continue its AI investments amid the break-up talk, but adding the browser to OpenAI's holdings may raise new concerns. Since the wheels of justice often turn slowly, it may be a while before we learn the outcomes of the recent Google rulings. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/openai-says-it-would-buy-chrome-if-google-is-forced-to-sell-215239832.html?src=rss

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© REUTERS / Reuters

Max now requires a fee for extra members who join a plan outside of the household. Each person who joins a subscription plan will cost $8 a head, no matter which access tier the main account holder is on. This type of "extra member" charge is how several streaming services have tried to cut down on password sharing by users. Netflix introduced this approach in 2023 and Disney+ followed suit in 2024.

The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned platform has at least temporarily allowed live sports and news content to be viewed for free, which is a nice perk for as long as it lasts. Max last raised its subscription prices in 2024, so hopefully viewers will get a reprieve on any more new costs for the rest of this year.

These non-household members will be able to stream Max content from their own accounts on one device at a time, and they'll have access to the same plan benefits such as video quality and downloads. In addition, when an extra member joins a plan, they can import their existing watch list and preferences with Max's new profile transfer option.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/max-implements-8-extra-member-charges-on-all-subscription-plans-195228707.html?src=rss

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© Warner Bros. Discovery

Wheel of Time is getting a new video game adaptation. The popular fantasy book series has already seen an imagining for the small screen with an Amazon Prime Video series that is currently airing its third season. Now iwot Studios, which has a hand in creating the Amazon show, is launching a new game studio to create a AAA open-world RPG set in the same fictional universe.

iwot brought in Craig Alexander to helm its new video game studio. Alexander has held management and leadership roles at game operations including Warner Bros. Entertainment, Activision, EA and Sierra On-Line. According to Variety, the studio is projecting a three-year development for the game, which seems pretty ambitious considering the it's still hiring team leads. iwot is also behind a planned live action movie as well as an animated feature film set within the same world as Wheel of Time. According to iwot Studios CEO Rick Selvage, the company will have "a lot of continuity in regards to how we approach our transmedia strategy" across the different projects.

This isn't the first time Robert Jordan's books have been source material for a game. Legend Entertainment released a first-person shooter based on Wheel of Time in 1999, and it's still available to play on modern hardware thanks to the preservation efforts at GOG.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/wheel-of-time-is-getting-a-new-aaa-open-world-rpg-adaptation-184741772.html?src=rss

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© Amazon Studios

Shares of Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) are doing something that seems quite unusual so far this year. The stock is up 17% year to date through April 17, and is stubbornly staying near the 52-week high of $73.95 reached on April 3.

The beverage giant's share price performance is excellent considering the recent stock market volatility, which clobbered many stocks, but so far has left Coca-Cola unscathed. Part of the reason for its share price resiliency is the conglomerate's solid business performance in 2024.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

With Coca-Cola stock up, what is best for shareholders to do now: buy, sell, or hold? Let's find out.

Coca-Cola's business growth

Coca-Cola's business performance has been going strong since hitting the skids during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an example, in the fourth quarter of 2024, the conglomerate experienced 6% year-over-year revenue growth to $11.5 billion while earnings per share (EPS) rose 12% to $0.51.

Q4 was only the latest quarter in a trend of steadily rising revenue and EPS in the years since both plunged amid the pandemic in 2021.

Data by YCharts.

Coca-Cola possesses many means to grow its business. According to CEO James Quincey, "By focusing on availability, basket incidence and cold drink equipment, coupled with great marketing, innovation and revenue growth management, our system recruited weekly plus drinkers, grew volume, and won share in 2024."

One example is the company's cold drink equipment, such as vending machines and grocery store coolers. Coca-Cola refers to this equipment as "one of the strongest consumption drivers in our system's toolbox."

Coca-Cola has 14 million cold drink units in operation today, and plans to expand this number. These machines are outfitted with sensors connected to the internet to deliver real-time diagnostics that help optimize sales.

Coca-Cola's stable source of passive income

Another factor contributing to Coca-Cola's share price surge is that it closed out 2024 with strong free cash flow (FCF) of $4.7 billion. The total FCF would have been $10.8 billion, a $1 billion increase over the prior year, if not for tax payments. FCF provides insight into the cash available to invest in the business, pay debt obligations, repurchase shares, and fund dividends.

Consequently, FCF is a key metric affecting Coca-Cola's dividend, currently providing a solid yield of 2.8% at the time of writing. The firm's large tax payment in 2024 was a one-off event, which is good news considering dividend payouts totaled $8.4 billion that year.

Coca-Cola's excellent FCF allowed the company to raise its dividend payment in February, marking an impressive 63 consecutive years of dividend growth. For 2025, Coca-Cola estimated FCF to reach $9.5 billion. This suggests another strong year of FCF generation ahead.

While its outstanding 2024 results caused shares to surge, the economic uncertainty introduced by President Donald Trump's tariff plans make Coca-Cola and other dividend-paying stocks more valuable. That's because if stocks drop or remain flat in a tough economy, your total return can still end up positive thanks to dividends.

As a result, if you already own shares of Coca-Cola, the best approach is to hold them. With its track record of dividend increases and strong FCF, Coca-Cola is likely to persist in providing that passive income produced by dividend payments for the long term.

To buy or not to buy Coca-Cola stock

If you own Coca-Cola shares, you shouldn't sell them, but what if you want to pick up the stock? Is now the best time to buy? To evaluate this, here's a look at the stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio compared to that of its major rival, PepsiCo.

The P/E ratio is a frequently used means of assessing stock valuation. The metric tells you how much investors are willing to pay for a dollar's worth of earnings.

Data by YCharts.

About a year ago, Coca-Cola stock was valued less than PepsiCo, but with this year's share price surge, that's reversed. Currently, Coca-Cola's P/E multiple of nearly 30 is markedly higher than its competitor's, which is hovering around 21, and this indicates Coca-Cola shares are expensive relative to PepsiCo.

Therefore, now isn't the best time to buy shares. Instead, put Coca-Cola stock on your watch list and wait for the share price to drop before deciding to invest.

Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?

Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Coca-Cola wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $532,771!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $593,970!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 781% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 149% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2025

Robert Izquierdo has positions in Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

If you've got a pile of cash burning a hole in your pocket, consider putting it to work in the stock market. Long-term investing is a great way to build wealth, and few know this better than investing legend Warren Buffett, who has turned his once-modest holding company, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B), into a $1.1 trillion equity behemoth.

Below I'll discuss why Chinese electric-vehicle (EV) maker BYD (OTC: BYDDY) -- as well as shares in Berkshire Hathaway itself -- could be great buys right now.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

BYD

Since its 2003 founding in Shenzhen, China, BYD has been riding the wave of China's industrial miracle. It starting as a battery manufacturing and electronics company before pivoting to electric vehicles a few years later. Warren Buffett began buying shares in 2008 and now owns a substantial $2.5 billion worth of BYD equity, representing about 1% of Berkshire's total portfolio.

It's easy to see why he likes the company. Buffett tends to favor businesses with deep economic moats, which refers to the competitive advantage they have over industry rivals. In BYD's case, the moat is the company's vertical integration as it manufactures its own batteries at scale, enabling it to pass on cost savings to consumers.

However, BYD isn't just about low prices. The company has started to emerge as a technological leader.

In March, it unveiled a new technology capable of charging EVs in just five minutes, providing up to 249 miles of range. If this makes it into mass production, it could significantly close the convenience gap between electric cars and their gasoline-powered counterparts.

BYD's valuation is also too good to ignore. With a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of just 19.5, the shares are significantly cheaper than rival Tesla, which trade at a forward P/E of 84. Fourth-quarter profit jumped by an impressive 73% year over year to $2.1 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway

Instead of buying individual stocks, some investors may want to bet on the entire Berkshire portfolio. This move would enable greater diversification across various industries while leveraging Warren Buffett's holistic strategy and market-beating instincts.

Buffett has famously stated, "Never bet against America," referencing the country's tremendous business potential, even in the face of temporary setbacks. With multibillion-dollar positions in leading U.S. companies like Apple, Coca-Cola, and American Express, the Oracle of Omaha puts his money where his mouth is. And in terms of performance, Berkshire Hathaway has consistently beaten the S&P 500.

BRK.A Total Return Level data by YCharts.

Berkshire's edge may come from its ability to respond to changes in the macroeconomic landscape. In 2024, the holding company began raising eyebrows by selling stock and not reinvesting, ending the year with $334.2 billion in cash. Some analysts think this move may have been in anticipation of the tariff-led sell-off this year. Berkshire Hathaway is in a position to scoop up quality stocks for cheap when the dust settles.

Investors shouldn't expect Berkshire Hathaway to repeat the explosive growth it has experienced during past decades. The larger a portfolio is, the more challenging it becomes to grow. That said, the legendary holding company looks fully capable of maintaining its market-beating success.

Which stock is best for you?

BYD and Berkshire Hathaway are both excellent choices based on Warren Buffett's successful investing strategy. That said, investors who prioritize market-trouncing growth should look to BYD, due to its huge opportunity to scale its EV business globally. Berkshire Hathaway is another excellent choice, but its size and diversification make its performance more closely align with the S&P 500 average.

Should you invest $1,000 in BYD Company right now?

Before you buy stock in BYD Company, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and BYD Company wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $532,771!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $593,970!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 781% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 149% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 21, 2025

American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Will Ebiefung has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool recommends BYD Company. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Zoom went down for many of its users this afternoon. People began experiencing issues with video conferencing service over the past few hours, peaking at more than 60,000 reports on DownDetector. Zoom shared an update acknowledging the problems and posted on X that "a restore is underway." Around 5PM ET, the company stated that normal service has resumed. 

On the down side, people may have been unable to connect to their meetings and calls during the workday. On the positive side, people may have been unable to connect to their meetings and calls during the workday.

It's been a bad day for online services, as Spotify went down for several hours earlier today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/zoom-is-back-up-after-outages-this-afternoon-210704980.html?src=rss

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© Cesc Maymo via Getty Images

The US government has continued to make drastic cuts to budgets and personnel, but one cybersecurity service has at least temporarily avoided the chop. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database operated by nonprofit MITRE Corp will receive 11 months of federal support. A representative from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, whose parent agency funds the MITRE database, told Reuters that the department exercised an "option period on the contract to ensure there will be no lapse in critical CVE services." The news was an eleventh-hour announcement, as federal funding for the project was slated to expire today.

This CVE database identifies and tracks cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and it is regularly used by IT professionals. It offers a standardized approach that allows complex and technical information about potential problems to be quickly shared across companies and organizations worldwide. 

"We appreciate the overwhelming support for these programs that have been expressed by the global cyber community, industry, and government over the last 24 hours," said Yosry Barsoum, vice president and director for MITRE's Center for Securing the Homeland.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/database-for-cybersecurity-vulnerabilities-secures-last-minute-government-funding-202703659.html?src=rss

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© sarayut Thaneerat via Getty Images

Kia has teased that it will have a trio of announcements at the 2025 New York International Auto Show. The car company's presentation is scheduled for 10AM ET on April 16. That's today! This morning, in fact. The reveal was hosted live on YouTube, and it's also embedded below. If you missed it as it was happening, you can still watch the video below, just to revel in the announcement, perhaps. 

If you don't have time to watch the 21-minute-long event, check out our article on Kia's US debut of its first all-electric sedan. The presentation featured three vehicles, including two that are fully electric. Kia unveiled its EV4 hatchback sedan in February, but didn't share info about North American manufacturing at that time. 

While the stage presentation will get livestreamed, we don't yet have tech to remotely test the Kia EV9 and EV6 models that will be at the live show. Maybe one day…

Update, April 16 2025, 2:00PM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that Kia's NY Auto Show 2025 event has taken place and to share some details on what was announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/how-to-watch-kias-new-york-international-auto-show-presentation-on-april-16-195259387.html?src=rss

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© Kia

According to an SEC filing from NVIDIA, the US government now requires companies to obtain a license to export H20 integrated circuits and any other products that achieve the same performance benchmarks. The filing states that "the license requirement addresses the risk that the covered products may be used in, or diverted to, a supercomputer in China." Mainland China is not the only place targeted by this license; NVIDIA will also require permission to sell the H20 to the territories of Hong Kong and Macau as well as to nations with the D:5 designation as US Arms Embargo Countries. 

The H20 chips are currently the most advanced chips that can be sold to select international markets under present laws and they are powerful enough to be used for artificial intelligence applications. NVIDIA has wanted the ability to retain Chinese customers for these products and last week, it seemed like the company may have gotten a reprieve on new restrictions. However, it appears that the new license requirement "will be in effect for the indefinite future."

NVIDIA said in the SEC filing that it now expects to report about $5.5 billion in charges related to "inventory, purchase commitments and related reserves" associated with the H20 circuits in the results for its current fiscal quarter.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/nvidia-says-the-us-has-put-export-restrictions-on-h20-ai-chips-224822930.html?src=rss

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© REUTERS / Reuters

Google announced today that it will no longer be using country code top level domains for searches. Instead, all search services will happen on the google.com URL and local results will be delivered automatically. For example, that means users in the UK will no longer see google.co.uk in their browser's address bar. Google URLs with those country-specific domain endings will now redirect to the main google.com address.

Google started using location information to automatically provide search results based on geography in 2017. With that change, it didn't matter whether you entered a query into a local country code URL or into google.com; you'd always see the results version for the place you were physically located. Today's announcement seems to take that initial action to its conclusion by sunsetting those ccTLDs.

"It’s important to note that while this update will change what people see in their browser address bar, it won’t affect the way Search works, nor will it change how we handle obligations under national laws," Google noted in its announcement.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-is-retiring-country-specific-domains-for-search-212157490.html?src=rss

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© REUTERS / Reuters

Anthropic announced that its Claude AI can integrate with Google Workspace. This tie-in allows the AI assistant to access any information in Gmail, Google Documents and Google Calendar. Enterprise-level customers even get a special cataloguing option for Documents that aims to offer even better speed and accuracy when retrieving information. 

This update could make Claude more helpful when it comes to using the chatbot for scheduling or accessing information within the Google ecosystem. The blog post with the announcement specified that the Enterprise option comes with special security controls for confidentiality, but doesn't detail if or how other users might be able to keep Claude from accessing sensitive information that might be stored in an email or document. Google Workspace integration is available in beta now for all paid Anthropic customers.

Anthropic is also adding a Research feature. Queries in this mode are intended to offer thorough answers to queries that "explores different angles of your question automatically and works through open questions systematically." Claude's responses in Research will include citations for fact-checking. Anthropic says this feature can be combined with the Google integration for analyzing information stored across multiple different locations, such as notes about complicated work or school projects. Research is available in the US, Japan and Brazil as an early beta for users on the Max, Team and Enterprise plans.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/anthropics-claude-can-now-read-your-emails-181511019.html?src=rss

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Riot Games has unveiled details about the next season for League of Legends. This chapter of the MOBA is themed Spirit Blossom Beyond, and it will bring a temporary new look to Summoner's Rift and several floral cosmetics for the champions. Season 2 will also involve some notable gameplay changes, as well as introducing an all-new game mode called Brawl.

LoL is a perpetual balancing act, and the team at Riot have pared back the emphasis on early- and mid-game objectives this season so players can focus more on laning at the start of a match. Void Grubs are getting nerfed, with only one trio of grubs spawning per game. The reward for securing all three will be a single Void Mite to aid in your tower takes. Rift Herald has been slightly retuned, removing the Shelly's Gaze debuff to make the camp easier to solo.

Atakhan is getting overhauled for Season 2. With this streamlined approach, he will only have one form that expands on the Bloody Petals mechanic introduced in Season 1. Killing the new Thornbound Atakhan will grant a team all remaining Bloody Petals that have spawned on the map with an increased buff amount. The team will also get a permanent buff for the rest of the match called Spiritual Purification: when an enemy is killed, opponents in the surrounding area will be slowed and take damage. Riot intended this Atakhan design to match the seasonal theme as well as nixing the unpopular mechanics like the team-wide Withdraw buff from the Voracious version of this new neutral camp.

Riot Games

As the name implies, the new Brawl mode for LoL is all about fighting. It's a 5v5 matchup that removes much of the strategic burden from typical bouts, with no towers and only a handful of neutral buffs available to claim. Instead, teams score points by taking down enemy champions and by shepherding minions into the rival gate on a new map designed just for this mode. Riot is positioning these bite-sized, 10-minute matches as on-ramps for newer players still building their basic skills or as a mental break from the regular solo queue grind.

As with any big new content release, there are plenty of other tweaks to balance and quality of life that will be fully detailed in the patch notes. Season 2 for League of Legends kicks off on April 30.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/league-of-legends-season-2-hello-brawls-bye-bye-voracious-atakhan-150028605.html?src=rss

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© Riot Games

Warren Buffett has built a fortune in the stock market by playing the long game. Over the last 59 years, his investing skills guided Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) to an incredible return of more than 5,000,000%.

When the stock market falls, Buffett's top holdings are a great place to find quality stocks that you can be confident will bounce back. Here are two of his largest investments that are no-brainer buys right now.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

1. Apple

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is Berkshire Hathaway's largest investment, with 300 million shares at the end of 2024. The iPhone maker is ranked as the most valuable brand in the world by Brand Finance. The company's robust profits earned from its products, on top of growing revenue from services, make it a solid investment for the long term.

Apple is poised to see more growth as it releases Apple Intelligence across more countries. It just rolled out these artificial intelligence (AI) features to iPhone and iPad users in Europe. In the last earnings report, CEO Tim Cook noted that iPhone 16 performance has been stronger in markets where Apple Intelligence is available.

That feature is a strong catalyst for growth. It promises to drive more upgrades and potentially convert customers of rival brands to switch to the iPhone, especially as Apple continues to improve its capabilities. The active installed base of its devices continues to hit record highs, which indicates growing brand appeal.

More devices in people's hands spell more opportunities to increase Apple's lucrative services segment. That division's revenue grew 14% year over year in the December-ending quarter and now comprises 21% of the company's total.

Buffett recognizes that Apple has tremendous brand power, which it uses to generate high margins from product sales. The company ended the last quarter with $141 billion of cash and marketable securities. It produced $96 billion of net profit over the last year and returned more than $15 billion to shareholders in dividends. It is printing cash like there's no tomorrow.

While Apple is not a high-growth business, it can raise the value of your investment. Analysts expect earnings to increase at an annualized rate of 10% over the next several years. A powerful brand and loyal customer base make it a solid long-term holding.

2. Berkshire Hathaway

Buffett's masterpiece is one of the best stocks you can hold in your retirement account. He continues to be the largest shareholder, with 38% of the Class A shares.

Berkshire owns dozens of businesses, along with a stock portfolio that was worth $271 billion at the end of 2024. The conglomerate's shares have run circles around the S&P 500 over the last five years, up 161% compared to the index's return of 88% at the time of this writing.

The stock has continued to outperform the broader market year to date. Most investors realize that a market sell-off can be valuable for Buffett to find opportunities to put more cash to work at attractive valuations, and therefore add more profitable revenue streams for Berkshire's business.

It entered the year with $331 billion in cash and short-term investments, providing plenty of firepower for Buffett to use if an opportunity presents itself. Berkshire's cash and stock holdings represent close to half of its $1.1 trillion market cap, which indicates solid value underpinning the stock right now.

That value is further supported by $47 billion of operating earnings from Berkshire's businesses last year. These include the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad; See's Candies; GEICO; Duracell; and one of the largest energy companies in the U.S., Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Total operating earnings are up 72% over the last three years.

Berkshire Hathaway is a no-brainer investment. Its growing earnings and large stakes in Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola, and several other outstanding businesses appear undervalued right now, making the stock a great buy.

Should you invest $1,000 in Apple right now?

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Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $495,226!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $679,900!*

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American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. John Ballard has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple and Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

In times of uncertainty, investors turn to areas of relative certainty, and one such area is Warren Buffett's mastery of investing when others are fearful. Consequently, it makes sense to look into what Buffett is holding in his Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) investment portfolio. Here are two stocks worth looking at now.

Berkshire Hathaway stock

Buffett was widely reported to be building up a large cash pile in 2024, and he has expressed some skepticism about tariffs. If you want to gain market exposure at such a challenging time, why not buy into Berkshire Hathaway stock and let Buffett carry the strain while you wait for more certainty on the fallout from the tariff escalations?

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After all, it's a strategy that would have worked out for investors over the past year, as well as more extended time frames.

BRK.A data by YCharts

For example, over the last 10 years.

BRK.A data by YCharts

Or even over the last 30 years.

BRK.A data by YCharts

While Buffett won't live forever, his successor, Greg Abel, has been at Berkshire Hathaway for 25 years, and it's a safe assumption that he's played a pivotal role in key investment decisions made by the company.

One of those decisions is Berkshire Hathaway's stockpiling of more than $330 billion in cash at the end of 2024 -- a decision that appears incredibly prescient now. The secret to Buffett's investing success isn't just being an outstanding stock picker; it's also knowing when to be a stock picker, and the stockpiling of cash in 2024 wasn't luck.

Try Coca-Cola

According to its SEC filings, Berkshire Hathaway held 400 million shares in Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) at the end of 2024. It's one of Berkshire's largest positions, and its 9% increase in 2025 contributed to Berkshire's similar increase over the same period. Its nearly 3% dividend yield doesn't harm the investment case for the stock either.

Naturally, investors will be concerned about Coca-Cola's exposure to tariffs and trade wars, but fortunately, the company is relatively well-positioned. Its end products are more consumer staples than consumer discretionary products. Moreover, as CEO James Quincey outlined on the fourth-quarter earnings call in February, there are several reasons to believe Coca-Cola will be in good shape.

First, Quincey noted: "We are predominantly a local business when it comes to making each of the beverages. The vast majority of everything that's consumed in the U.S. is made in the U.S." He added, "While it's a global business, it's very local." This localization of production, where consumption takes place, means the company isn't suffering from tariffs in the way that, say, a company manufacturing in Mexico and exporting into the local market in the U.S. will.

Second, while Coca-Cola does have exposure to increased packaging costs associated with aluminum tariffs, Quincey told investors in February that packaging is just "a small component" of its cost structure. The increase in aluminum cost would not be "insignificant," but according to Quincey, it's manageable. In addition, the increase in aluminum costs is also likely to impact its competitors, and Coca-Cola has the scale to absorb cost increases by taking other measures.

Third, demonstrating the last point above, Quincey argued that Coca-Cola could shift marketing and distribution focus toward polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles instead of aluminum. This isn't something all its competitors will be able to do.

Stocks to buy

All told, Berkshire Hathaway and Coca-Cola, one of its largest holdings, look like pretty good stocks to buy in the current environment. They both have Buffett's seal of approval, which counts for a lot in uncertain times.

Should you invest $1,000 in Coca-Cola right now?

Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Coca-Cola wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $496,779!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $659,306!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 787% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 152% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of April 10, 2025

Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.