Greg Abel, who assumed Berkshire Hathaway's CEO role in January, has divested equity positions that were managed by Todd Combs, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Combs departed Berkshire in December to join JPMorgan Chase, leaving his stock portfolio without its originating manager. Abel's decision to liquidate those positions rather than absorb them into Berkshire's broader book marks the first concrete portfolio signal of his tenure. Warren Buffett remains Chairman and retains influence over the firm's direction, but the divestiture suggests Abel is not simply inheriting prior managers' conviction positions. The move narrows the question of how Abel will construct Berkshire's equity strategy independently. Berkshire is expected to disclose updated equity holdings soon, likely through a 13F filing, which will reveal the full scope of what was sold and what, if anything, replaced it. That disclosure will be the cleaner read on Abel's investment posture going forward.
HDFC Bank's board has approved Rajiv Kumar, former Chief Election Commissioner and financial services secretary, as its Part-time Non-Executive Chairman from June 30, 2026. His chairmanship still requires RBI approval, but the move ends the bank's prolonged search for a permanent board leader.
Indian startups raised $1.1 billion across 16 deals in the week of June 21-26, 2026, up 2.5 times from the prior week, with CRED's $900 million Series H led by Meta accounting for most of the total. Square Yards became India's 131st unicorn after closing a $95 million round.
Jet fuel costs dropped sharply after a US-Iran interim peace deal, but airlines are expected to use the savings to rebuild margins rather than cut fares. Tight capacity, aircraft delivery delays, and weak budget carriers give major carriers unusual pricing power heading into the second half of 2026.
Meta is investing $900 million in CRED at a $4.5 billion valuation, the largest Indian startup round of 2026, as founder Kunal Shah moves to a global leadership role at WhatsApp. Miten Sampat takes over as interim CEO, and a major employee stock buyback is expected within weeks.
