Ticker Talk

Investor Warren Buffett put almost $10 billion in cash to work during the second quarter, and reported an increase in bond holdings of almost that much, according to a regulatory filing released Monday. Berkshire Hathaway Inc., the Omaha holding company controlled by Buffett, disclosed in a quarterly report that its cash on hand dropped by $10 billion during the three months that ended June 30. Berkshire’s investments in fixed-income securities rose by about $9.3 billion during the same period. Berkshire’s filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission didn’t give specifics on its fixed income investments. . . .

If Wall Street analysts are well-known for their reluctance to issue “sell” ratings, Donald Cunningham of Gilmour & Associates can hardly be accused of going along with the crowd. He initiated coverage of five stocks Monday with “sell” recommendations: AlliedSignal Inc. (ticker symbol: ALD; close and change: $63, down 31 cents), Avery Dennison Corp. (AVY; $57.38, up 88 cents), Cendant Corp. (CD; $18.94, up 13 cents), Macromedia Inc. (MACR; $36.13, up $1.06) and Tandy Corp. (TAN; $45.31, up $1.50). . . .

E-Trade Group Inc., the No. 2 online broker, said Monday it will add as many as 10 more mutual funds to its money management group in the next year, as it moves to build its brand name in fund management.