Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway said first-half revenues fell 39% at Squishmallows' parent company and 12% at Fruit of the Loom as tariffs loomed.

Little did they know that days after they had pushed Berkshire’s class A shares to a record, Buffett would announce he planned to step down as chief executive. Since then, the conglomerate’s high-vote A shares have fallen 14 per cent,