Catch up on the weekend's top five stories with this list compiled by The Fly: 1. Linde (LNEGY) and Praxair (PX) $42B merger is facing an unexpected hurdle from the U.S. antitrust regulator that could derail the deal, according to Bloomberg. The Federal Trade Commission indicated it wants the companies to sell more assets before it approves their deal, the report noted, adding that Linde highlighted a "higher likelihood" that the requirement may push total asset disposals to beyond the acceptable threshold outlined in the merger deal. 2. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A; BRK.B) reported second quarter operating earnings $6.89B versus $4.12B last year, and second quarter net earnings of $12B from $4.26B in the year-earlier period. At June 30, 2018, Berkshire's book value per Class A equivalent share was $217,677. Insurance float was approximately $116B at June 30, 2018, an increase of $2B since year-end 2017. 3. On Thursday, Apple (AAPL) became the first U.S. company to reach a market value of $1T and its shares traded at 15.8 times projected earnings for the next four quarters, which, according to FactSet, makes them only 5% less expensive than the broad S&P 500 index, Jack Hough wrote in this week's edition of Barron's. While shareholders might be tempted to take profits, they should hang on for more upside as investors are finally beginning to give it credit for more than its handset volumes and Apple compares well with the broad market on measures of risk, financial strength, and growth potential, he contended. It would not take much of one to send shares 20% higher over the next year, the report added. 4. Viacom (VIAB) owned Paramount's "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" won the weekend's box office, ending its sophomore outing with $35M from 4,395 North American theaters. "Fallout" posted the lowest decline of any film in the series besides "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol," which debuted over Christmas in 2011. The movie earned an A CinemaScore and sports a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score. 5. Synchrony Financial (SYF), Crispr Therapeutics (CRSP), Editas Medicine (EDIT), and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA) saw positive mentions in Barron's.
