New York Times (May 6)
When Warren Buffet unexpectedly announced his retirement at the end of 2025, “people in the crowd, many of whom were in tears, rose from their seats in a standing ovation for a singular figure in the business world.” The Oracle of Omaha, as he is known, “is often described as a symbol of American capitalism. In truth, he is an outlier. He is more the conscience of capitalism, willing to speak uncomfortable truths about the system’s ills while others remained silent.” A humble billionaire, Buffet “always comes across as a gentleman, and in an age of distrust he has become a trusted figure.” No doubt, another “of his biggest accomplishments” was “using his annual Berkshire letters and marathon Q&A sessions with shareholders to educate generations about business, investing and life itself.”
Tags: Berkshire, Buffet, Capitalism, Conscience, Educate, Gentleman, Humble, Oracle of Omaha, Outlier, Ovation, Q&A, Retirement, Shareholders, Tears, Trusted, U.S., Uncomfortable truths
New York Times (February 24)
“Investors often see Berkshire as a bellwether of the American economy, given the breadth of its business.” Marking a sharp reversal from a $22 billion loss in 2022, the conglomerate recorded net earnings of $97.1 billion in 2023, “its highest-ever annual profit last year.” Moreover, “Berkshire also reported $37.4 billion in operating earnings, the financial metric that Mr. Buffett prefers because it excludes paper investment gains and losses, for the year, up 21 percent from 2022.”
Tags: 2022, 2023, Bellwether, Berkshire, Conglomerate, Economy, Investment gains, Investors, Loss, Net earnings, Operating earnings, Profit, Reversal, U.S.
Wall Street Journal (October 7)
“Billionaire Warren Buffett tossed lifelines to a handful of blue-chip companies during the financial crisis. Five years later the payoff on those deals is becoming clear: $10 billion and counting.” In terms of income before taxes, the investments to companies like Bank of America, Dow Chemical, General Electric, Goldman Sachs and Mars, have yielded Berkshire approximately 40%. Berkshire received an attractive premium, but provided the companies with critical capital and something even more valuable: “Mr. Buffett’s implicit endorsement of their long-term prospects. Shares of these companies generally went up after they revealed Berkshire’s involvement.”
Tags: Bank of America, Berkshire, Billionaire, Blue-chips, Capital, Dow Chemical, Endorsement, Financial Crisis, General electric, Goldman Sachs, Investments, Mars, Payoff, Premium, Shares, Warren Buffett
