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Tuesday's Top Stories in 2 Minutes

By Eric Bleeker – Updated Apr 5, 2017 at 11:31PM

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Buffett makes his largest acquisition to date, companies hoard cash like there's no tomorrow, and Johnson & Johnson keeps the layoffs coming.

Here at the Fool, we've searched high and low across the Web this Tuesday morning to find the biggest news and best stories around. Here are your top five morning reads.

1. Buffett Choo-Choo-Choose's Burlington Northern Santa Fe
In what would be Buffett's largest acquisition ever, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A) (NYSE:BRK-B) has agreed to pay a 31% premium to acquire the 77% of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE:BNI) that Berkshire doesn't already own. (Read more at MarketWatch.)

2. Companies secure a cash hoard
The Wall Street Journal has a report on the increasing level of cash that companies are keeping. While the trend of increasing cash to assets has been rising since the early 90's, there's been a sharp increase as companies have looked to conserve more cash during the crisis. The credit markets freeze and companies race for cash, shocking. (Read more at The Wall Street Journal.)

3. Johnson & Johnson brings out the bone saw
In an effort to further cut costs, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) will lay off six to seven percent of its workforce. Considering the size of its workforce at the end of last year, the workforce cuts could lead to about 8,000 employees losing their jobs. (Read more at Bloomberg)

4. Earnings roundup
Some notable earnings from last night and this morning:

  • Archer Daniels Midland (NYSE:ADM) saw results stronger than earlier this year, but still faces steep year-over-year declines. (Read more at Yahoo! Finance)
  • Chesapeake Energy (NYSE:CHK) saw profits and revenue plunge from last year due to declining natural gas prices. Despite revenue falling nearly 76% from last year, the company still managed to eke out a small profit. (Read more at MarketWatch)
  • UBS was hit by several large charges and posted a loss for the quarter. The company warned of continued weakness in its valuable private banking arm. (Read more at The Wall Street Journal.)

5. Can Citigroup carry on after the crisis?
The New York Times notes that the government has saved institutions known as Citigroup (NYSE:C) four times in the past 80 years, and wonders whether the company can come back once again. (Read more at The New York Times.)

Check Fool.com throughout the day for commentary and analysis on these and other stories. Or you can follow us on Twitter, on Facebook, or through our email digests.

Eric Bleeker owns shares of Citi. Berkshire Hathaway is a Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation. Berkshire Hathaway and Chesapeake Energy are Motley Fool Inside Value recommendations. Johnson & Johnson is a Motley Fool Income Investor pick. The Fool owns shares of Berkshire Hathaway and Chesapeake Energy. Try any of our Foolish newsletters today, free for 30 days. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Stocks Mentioned

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Stock Quote
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
BRK.A
$399,127.75 (-1.32%) $-5,357.50
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Stock Quote
Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
BRK.B
$264.32 (-1.29%) $-3.45
Citigroup Inc. Stock Quote
Citigroup Inc.
C
$42.99 (-2.87%) $-1.27
Johnson & Johnson Stock Quote
Johnson & Johnson
JNJ
$165.70 (-0.61%) $-1.02
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Stock Quote
Archer-Daniels-Midland Company
ADM
$81.51 (-0.17%) $0.14
Chesapeake Energy Corporation Stock Quote
Chesapeake Energy Corporation
CHKA.Q

*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.

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