…Earnings season super strong – individual names a bit volatile. Buffett sits on cash. Facebook wants your financial data. Iran under sanctions again. Gates testifies at Manafort trial. Financial Review by Sinclair Noe for 08-06-2018 DOW + 39 = 25,502 SPX + 10 = 2850 NAS + 47 = 7859 RUT + 10 = 1684 10 Y – .02 = 2.94% OIL + .41 = 68.90 GOLD – 6.10 = 1208.20   The 3 major stock indices closed higher, but not at the highs for the day. Investors focused on a strong earnings season with results from Berkshire Hathaway impressing and Facebook lifting Nasdaq after a report it was planning new services. The S&P edged closer to a record hit on Jan. 26, closing within a percentage point of the all-time high for the first time since the current correction began. Of the 413 S&P 500 companies that have reported second-quarter results so far, 79.2 percent have topped earnings estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data. That compares with the 72 percent average for the past four quarters.   Berkshire Hathaway rose 2.3 percent after the Warren Buffett-led conglomerate reported a 67 percent surge in quarterly operating profit to $6.9 billion. The filings show that Berkshire’s 5% stake in Apple is now worth nearly $50 billion. That’s by far the most valuable stake it has in any one company. Berkshire is now sitting on almost $130 billion in cash. Investors and executives should take note that ultimate contrarians Buffett and partner ...