PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - U.S. chocolate maker Hershey Co <HSY.N> is considering launching a bid of at least $17 billion for British chocolatier Cadbury Plc <CBRY.L> as it seeks to trump a hostile offer by Kraft Foods Inc, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Billionaire Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc <BRKa.N><BRKb.N> on Monday revealed new investments in Nestle AG <NESN.VX> <NSRGY.PK> and Exxon Mobil Corp <XOM.N> and that it has nearly doubled its investment in Wal-Mart Stores Inc <WMT.N>.

Buffett's Berkshire acquires ExxonMobil stake, cuts holdings in ConocoPhillips. Billionaire Warren Buffett's company bought a nearly $60 million stake in Exxon Mobil Corp., trimmed holdings in oil rival ConocoPhillips and nearly doubled its stake in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. during the latest quarter.

Interview with Louis James of the Casey Report . In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Louis James, Senior Editor of Doug Casey's International Speculator, reiterates his conviction that the dollar is on death row with no one prepared to grant a stay of execution. Dismal as it is, this situation gives rise to increasingly positive prospects for gold and other commodities that may ultimately stand in as the world's reserve currency. And there are some pretty hot speculative prospects?Louis' "best of the best" ?waiting in the wings for the market's next big leg down that he's been forecasting.

Goldman Sachs teams with Warren Buffett on $500 million effort to help small businesses. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is teaming with billionaire investor Warren Buffett to invest $500 million to provide thousands of small business owners across America with college scholarships and boost their access to capital.

Berkshire Hathaway lines up $8B loan to help pay for $26.3B acquisition of BNSF railroad. Warren Buffett's company has lined up an $8 billion loan to help pay for its $26.3 billion acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp.

CSX shares slip as Stifel, Nicolaus downgrades railroad, saying share price is too high. Shares of CSX Corp. edged down in premarket trading Friday as an analyst downgraded the railroad, saying its share price has moved too high.

Report: Hershey may make $17 billion bid for Cadbury, topping Kraft. Hershey Co. may make a $17 billion bid for UK candy company Cadbury PLC, topping the recent $16.5 billion hostile offer by Kraft Foods Inc., the Wall Street Journal reports Friday.

Wang Chuanfu, the founder of Chinese battery and electric car maker BYD, has become China's richest person thanks to US billionaire investor Warren Buffet, according to a list published on Monday.

Wang Chuanfu, the founder of Chinese battery and electric car maker BYD, has become China's richest person thanks to US billionaire investor Warren Buffett, according to a list published Monday.

Wang Chuanfu, the founder of Chinese battery and electric car maker BYD, has become China's richest person thanks to US billionaire investor Warren Buffet, according to a list published on Monday.

Moody's, other ratings agencies under pressure from regulators, making investors uneasy. The mounting regulatory pressure on Moody's Investors Service and the other major credit rating agencies appears to be making investors nervous.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The super-rich are getting poorer with the 400 wealthiest Americans losing $300 billion of net worth in the past year, hurt by sagging capital and real estate markets, according to the annual Forbes magazine ranking.

The wealthiest Americans are getting poorer, losing 300 billion dollars of their net worth over the past 12 months, according to an annual Forbes magazine ranking released Wednesday.

The wealthiest Americans are getting poorer, losing 300 billion dollars of their net worth over the past 12 months, according to an annual Forbes magazine ranking released.

Home improvement chain Lowe's signs supply deal with Berkshire Hathaway's Johns Manville. Home improvement chain Lowe's Cos. and building products company Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company, have signed an exclusive supply deal for insulation products.

An allocation of 20% or more is suggested in this secular bear market . In this extraordinary environment, preserving your personal wealth becomes priority one. Before you make another major financial decision, it is imperative to understand the big picture by recognizing and understanding three critical issues. First, we are in a secular bear market for financial assets (stocks and bonds). Second, the consequences of the global bailouts will likely be highly inflationary. Third, we are at a pivotal point in the long-term investment cycle. Let?s examine each of these three keys in more detail.

Verisk Analytics shares soar immediately in trading debut; offering price higher than expected. Shares of Verisk Analytics Inc., an insurance data specialist that first signaled that it planned to offer shares to the public shortly before the collapse of Lehman Brothers, soared Wednesday in their trading debut.

Banco Santander, Verisk attract $10 billion through IPOs as market shows more signs of thaw. There is growing evidence that the market for initial public offerings is rebounding after essentially disappearing at the height of the credit crisis as two new issues raised a combined $10 billion Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Capmark Financial Group Inc., the commercial real estate company created through a 2006 leveraged buyout of certain GMAC assets, is preparing to file for bankruptcy possibly by the end of next week, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation.