Trump–Putin’s Alaska Gamble, Bridgewater’s China Pullback & Buffett’s $1.6B Healthcare Bet

15th August,2025

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin head into a tense Alaska summit that could redefine Ukraine’s war and nuclear arms control. Bridgewater trims its China bets and exits tech giants in a major portfolio shift. Warren Buffett re-enters the U.S. healthcare sector with a $1.6 billion stake in UnitedHealth. All this and more in today’s Read It And Eat!

Major Headlines

• Trump and Putin to Face Off Over Ukraine Peace and Nuclear Arms at Alaska Summit

  
  

• Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will meet face-to-face in Alaska on Friday, their first in-person talks since Trump’s return to the White House, in a high-stakes encounter combining tense negotiations over Ukraine’s war and the prospect of a new nuclear arms control agreement. The talks, set for 11 a.m. local time at a Cold War-era U.S. Air Force base, come amid concerns from Kyiv and European allies that Trump could strike a deal with Putin that leaves Ukraine vulnerable to territorial concessions.

  
  

  Trump has framed the summit as a chance to secure a ceasefire in the three-and-a-half-year-old conflict, a goal he once claimed he could achieve within 24 hours of taking office. But on Thursday, he acknowledged that the war has proven “a tougher nut to crack” than expected. He suggested that a subsequent three-way summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy — who is not invited to Friday’s meeting — would be more consequential than his meeting with Putin, should the talks go well.

  
  

  For Trump, a truce would boost his image as a global dealmaker and Nobel Peace Prize contender, a distinction he has openly sought. In a conference call with Ukrainian and European leaders earlier this week, Trump reportedly agreed that Ukraine must be part of any negotiations over potential land concessions, a stance that eased fears of a behind-the-scenes Trump–Putin arrangement. Zelenskiy said Trump had also signaled support for post-war security guarantees, though the U.S. president has not made those assurances public.

  
  

  Putin, under pressure from an economy squeezed by escalating Western sanctions, is looking for relief — or at least a freeze on further penalties from Washington. On the eve of the summit, he floated an offer likely to appeal to Trump: a new nuclear arms control agreement to replace the last remaining pact between the two nations, set to expire next February. Both leaders have offered mixed signals on the prospects for a breakthrough. Trump said he believes Putin “would do a deal” on Ukraine, while Putin praised what he called the United States’ “sincere efforts” to end the war. A Kremlin source told Reuters that some terms appear to have been worked out in advance, noting that “Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse” given the sanctions burden.

  The outcome of the Alaska meeting could reshape not only the course of the war in Ukraine but also the broader U.S.–Russia relationship, setting the tone for arms control, sanctions policy, and global power dynamics heading into 2026. Reuters

  
  
  
  

• Bridgewater trims China exposure, exits Alibaba and Baidu

  
  

• Bridgewater Associates has sharply reduced its holdings in U.S.-listed Chinese stocks, exiting major positions in Alibaba, Baidu, JD.com, PDD Holdings, and others during the second quarter, according to its latest SEC filings. The world’s largest hedge fund also sold off smaller stakes in Chinese companies like Nio, Trip.com, and Yum China, while trimming Apple and adding to Microsoft and Nvidia. The pullback underscores rising caution over China amid strained U.S.-China relations, slowing economic growth, and investor uncertainty. Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio — long a China optimist — has recently acknowledged the country’s challenges but maintains they are “manageable” if addressed by policymakers. The shift comes just as Washington and Beijing extended their tariff truce by 90 days, delaying steep tariff hikes that could have further rattled trade flows. Dalio has since sold his remaining stake in Bridgewater and stepped down from the board, though he continues to advise the firm’s investment team.  CNBC

  
  
  
  

• Buffett's Berkshire acquires 5 million shares in UnitedHealth

  
  

• Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N) has acquired 5 million shares in UnitedHealth Group (UNH.N), according to a regulatory filing on Thursday — sending the health insurer’s stock up 7% in extended trading. Buffett previously owned about 1.18 million shares in UnitedHealth between 2006 and 2009, before exiting the position entirely in 2010 during a broader retreat from health insurers.

  
  

  The move comes as UnitedHealth faces mounting challenges — including soaring medical costs, ongoing federal investigations, fallout from the killing of a top executive, and the lingering impact of a major cyberattack last year. The healthcare conglomerate recently slashed its profit forecast, signaling prolonged financial strain with billions in additional costs expected in the coming quarters. Shares of the Dow component have already plunged 46% this year. Reuters

  
  
  
  

• Airbnb Lets US Users Book Without Paying Up Front

  
  

• Airbnb is rolling out a new “Reserve Now, Pay Later” feature for U.S. users, allowing guests to book a property without paying immediately. The option applies to listings with “flexible” or “moderate” cancellation policies — meaning guests can cancel up to 24 hours before check-in for flexible bookings, or up to five days prior for moderate ones. Users must pay in full before the free cancellation period ends, with Airbnb sending reminders ahead of the deadline.

  
  

  This isn’t Airbnb’s first foray into flexible payments. In 2018, it launched a “Pay part now, part later” feature, and in 2023 it partnered with Klarna to offer installment payments over six weeks. The new option, based on a survey with Focaldata, follows findings that 55% of travelers prefer flexible payment options and 42% have missed out on bookings while sorting out payment logistics with co-travelers. TechCrunch 

• Bessent Says BOJ Is ‘Behind the Curve’ on Inflation, Expects Rate Hikes

  
  

• The Bank of Japan is lagging in tackling inflation and will likely have to raise interest rates, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in his most pointed remarks yet on Japan’s monetary policy. Speaking to Bloomberg Television, Bessent’s comments stand in stark contrast to BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda’s repeated insistence that the central bank isn’t moving too slowly to contain inflation.

  
  

  Bessent said U.S. Treasury yields are already feeling the ripple effects of overseas markets, with Japan and Germany’s rising long-term bond yields pulling up the U.S. 30-year yield. “The Japanese have an inflation problem,” he said, adding that after speaking directly with Ueda, his personal view is that the BOJ is “behind the curve” and will end up hiking rates — though he gave no timeline for when. His remarks come as Japan’s core inflation has stayed above the central bank’s 2% target for more than three years, fueled by higher food and raw material costs. Some BOJ policymakers have voiced concern over possible second-round price effects. While Ueda has signaled readiness to keep raising rates, he has defended a gradual pace, arguing that “underlying inflation” tied to domestic demand and wage growth is still falling short of target. Reuters

  
  

Minor Headlines 

• AI startup Perplexity makes bold $34.5B bid for Google’s Chrome — Reuters

  
  

• Kodak denies shutdown rumors despite reports of financial strain —TechCrunch

  
  

• AI translation startup Palabra gets backing from Reddit co-founder’s VC — TechCrunch 

  
  

• Cohere hires Meta research veteran Joelle Pineau as chief AI officer —  TechCrunch 

  
  

• Foot traffic at American Eagle stores drops 9% after Sydney Sweeney ad — MorningBrew

  
  

• Citi hires bankers for private credit in North America, tech in Europe —Reuters

  
  

• Ex-Goldman, JPMorgan exec blew investor funds on online casino — CNBC

• Meta AI rules allow bots to have ‘sensual’ chats with kids, give false medical advice — Reuters 

Earning Headlines 

Entertainment

• AMC beat Q2 revenue estimates and significantly narrowed losses as attendance rose 26% amid a recovering box office; CEO Adam Aron highlighted record admissions revenue per patron and noted extension of all 2026 debt maturities (CNBC) 

Mining

• Barrick posted decade-high Q3 earnings but missed revenue estimates despite a surge in copper and gold production and higher prices (WSJ)

Technology 

• CoreWeave beat Q2 revenue estimates and narrowed losses on a 300% sales increase aided by its partnership with OpenAI and issued optimistic Q3 and FY guidance, though revenue growth continues to be capacity constrained amid high demand and stiff competition from cloud giants such as Amazon (CNBC) 

  
  

• Cisco met on Q2 earnings, revenue, and guidance estimates as AI-related orders from major web companies began to pick up on new AI-ready networking products and partnerships, including the Stargate data center initiative with Microsoft, OpenAI, and SoftBank (CNBC)

Fintech 

• eToro beat Q2 earnings and revenue estimates as retail investors piled into stocks during April's market turmoil with strong buying in names like Google, Nvidia, and Tesla; crypto activity also rose in July as Bitcoin hit ATHs (CNBC) 

  
  

• Circle beat Q2 revenue estimates on a 53% jump driven largely by yield-bearing assets backing USDC; the firm raised FY guidance and outlined plans to diversify into transaction-based revenue via products like Circle Payments Network and Arc blockchain (BBG) 

Consumer

• CAVA beat Q2 earnings estimates but missed on revenue and cut FY guidance as same-store sales growth disappointed amid flat traffic (CNBC)