BERKSHIRE'S CASH PILE SHRINKS $31.7 BILLION

Berkshire Hathaway's cash and short-term Treasury Bill position fell to $359.0 billion at the end of June, down from a record $390.7 billion three months earlier, according to the company's quarterly filings with the SEC. The $31.7 billion drawdown is the steepest quarterly drop in years, coming in the first half under CEO Greg Abel as Berkshire Hathaway ($BRK.B) put idle capital into stock purchases and buybacks. The cash hoard that drew years of criticism for sitting still is finally shrinking.