John Hjorth

Weeding out all kinds of transactions between taxable and tax deferred accounts - done for taxation purposes - so far, the last 3 months : Added to Swedish Investor AB [the A share - INVE.A-STO], Investor AB topic here on CoBF, Added to Swedish real estate company Wallenstam AB [WALL_B.STO], both discretionary dividend reinvestments of total portfolio dividends received [pretty much what I do regularly, immaterial by value in the whole picture of things]. - - - o 0 o - - - Thank you for asking.

This ASU 2016-01 talk makes absolutely no sense to me. What is Berkshires earnings on its part ownership of Coca Cola?, i.e. its earnings on its 400 million shares of Coca Cola? Is it the received dividends from the shares owned, or is it [received dividends plus market value changes]? That forced change in Berkshires accounting has never mattered one whit before or after 2016/17 for how I value Berkshire. I strongly disagree with Mr. Buffett on this matter, and I have always done so. To me, it's like alleging that Forbes should calculate the value of Mr. Buffetts Berkshire A shares at his historical cost, which would dump him to swim in the waters of toilets where the most of others are paddling around. Value is value. And changes in values are earnings, - negative or positive -, if one is an investment outfit. Now somebody has to convince me that Berkshire isen't an investment outfit. ... I.e., the progress in value of the Coca Cola position owned by Berkshire is indeed very real. It does not matter to me, if it gradually - measured year by year - hit the Berkshire group income statement, or not [with provision of deferred taxes]. Nor does it to Mr. Buffett, no matter what he has written in his shareholder letters - you can count on that.

Thank you, very good post and points, @Libs , And with regard to values, what does Russia actually by now 'offer' to it's 'acquisition candidates' ? Personally, I do not see anything but eternal exploitation, not even with a long lense.

Are there any areas of reinsurance or P/C insurance, where Everest may provide some new business or business lines to the pallette of Berkshires?

@Luke, What is left of Ukraine, if every structure above ground is demolished to rubble by warfare? : - Enormous areas of fertile and productive agricultural land. It's called the grain chamber of Europe. Just for reference, the economic value of agricultural land in Denmark is approx. ~DKK 200,000 [on avarage] per hectare. [One hectare is 10,000 m2, equals 100 m x 100 m area]

@ValueArb, The colunm leader I posted and translated earlier and upstream in this topic for the readers here on CoBF [likely written by JP editor in chief Marchen Geertsen], was for informational purposes, describing a public sentiment here in a Northern European country, very precisely describing a public sentiment in an open democracy, about the elected people with polical power and responsibilities are withholding material information about the truth from their constituents, which is from a democratic and constitutional point of view is more than problematic [,also meaning : What I posted wasen't an expression of my own opinion.]. With regard to the above quoted line of yours, you just have to remember, recall and look up the photos taken of the damages to the pipelines, taken after the damages happened. The photos back then indicated clearly that this was about explosions from outside the tubes, direction inbound tubes to destruct pipeline integrity, not the other direction.

In fact it does not appear to be so complicated, by now solved by a similar democratic process, by now more than a hundred years ago in the Northern Europe : Wikipedia : 1920 Schleswig plebiscites [<- If one think carefullly about it, how difficult is this ? ] Where there is will, there is a way. [Cons are called at their bluffs, and all other kinds of *BS* - commit, or not. -Period. -Always works.]

Thanks, @Xerxes , I [naturally] agree on your nuances of changes to my own statement, as posted by you above.

No posts today really commenting on what's at the core, for building an Ukraine for the future : The Ukranie people and population [in the by Russia occupied areas and regions] is for it self, to decide its future! [If you really disagree about that, please post about it specifically in this topic!] That part of the Ukranian population in the by Russia occupied areas isen't some kind of 'live stock', available as a bargain or leverage for whoever may want to rule. The very hort version of it : *MIAWIU* ['I'm my own', 'I own my self']

To start another angle to what's going on in Ukraine and simultainly discussed in this topic : How would you react to [hypotchetical] an Ukrainian citizen registering here on CoBF and posting : 'This is really not matter for you to decide on, What's going to happen with and to the citizens of the occupied regions of Ukraniene should be let to decide by it people.'

For my part, both, morally against pure commercial considerations here, boiling down to : Purpose. In short, there are things that I avoid, and will never touch.

Stated here with all due respect for your proces, Blake, @Blake Hampton , I would kindly suggest - again, posted here without any kind of, or any stint of arrogance as basis, or effort to patronizing you -, to think about the element of stock picking in your process. It took me a only a bit more than a couple of years in this game to find out, that I would never succeed, nor survive mentally, in this game by buying shares in companies, that I did not - for whatever reason - like [, for my part, based on that I'm personally a pro-business person, to the extremes].

Blake [ @Blake Hampton ], Where do you look to get to these 'actual', 'at present', 'at the moment' conclusions about valuations? To me, there has always been something to do, if one look around.

@Luke, What did you get to of loss numbers for Ukraine and Russia, respectively? Please share with sources [, how horrible a read for all us here on CoBF it might be, eventually]. Thank you in advance.

In many cases and under certain circumstances, this unfortunately and eventually ends up as being the truth. Security and freedom are two separate elements of the concept of independence.

I'm kicking a small footnote in here, that there actually exist other insurance companies with similar business model, but they may be few. I am only aware of one though : Protector Forsikring ASA, Oslo, Norway [ PROTCT.OS][ CoBF topic ]. - - - o 0 o - - - Now back to Fairfax 2024.

You certainly need to cool down, - at least bit, @ValueArb. To me, you've lost it here in this topic. I'll likely get some response from you based on this, but please do not expect me to respond. Personallly, I really hate and disgust when other people are trying to explain to me my own opinion.

It is even good for your health

About the Russian economy : The Guardian - Opinion - Russia [July 24th 2024] : Russia is lying about its economic strength: sanctions are working – and we need more [Eight European finance ministers]. Financial Times - Letter [August 16th 2024] : West must test Putin’s claims about the Russian economy [From Elisabeth Svantesson, Swedish Minister for Finance, Stockholm, Sweden]. Fortune - Commentary - Russia [ August 19 2024] : An economic catastrophe is lurking beneath Russia’s GDP growth as Putin ‘throws everything into the fireplace'. I must appear pretty clear and evident to every reader, that the direction of the development in the Russian economy is unsustainable in every view and perspective other than the near short term. All-in, using national wealth funds purposed for the future on warfare, burning its candle in both ends.

Let it go. Total waste of your time and mental energy. Not a matter for any of us here on CoBF. Your only feasible reaction on the AAPL sale is [Berkshire] hold, sell - whole or partially, or buy more. No matter your stance related to Mr. Buffetts doings on this Berkshire position, you had no influence on the decision when it was made, - what so ever. No matter what you think about it by now, it has been a homerun. In short, it's 'the privilege' of investing in a majority controlled listed conglomerate. Get used to it, or those kind of investments are not for you.

This.

As you see, @Spooky, There were no actual constructive contributions from the bookworms here on CoBF about the matter, so I haven't more or less 'just bought one'. I will likely tinker more with the issue when we up here in Northern Europe enter the dark period later this year, I suppose and think. - So the short answer is 'No' to your question.

ChrisO_wiki on X about Russian conscripts in the Ukrainian Kursk offensive [warning : It's a shocking and heartbreaking read] :

Thank you, @nsx5200 and @Fly, Now we're actually getting somewhere, I think. 'The bad guys' [from general sentiment] named 'culprits',so far, has been the Pharmacy Benefit Managers [PBMs] and the producers [because of their profits by doing so], while the roots to the issue at hand is far reaching to a wider extent, rooted into culture and way of living. Basically it boils down to taking responsibility for own body, dosen't it?

A view into some odd corners of the democracy in a tiny state in the Northern Europe, involving the concept and definition of democracy, energi policy and security policy, all in a friggin' big bunch : Jyllandsposten - Debate - Leader column [August 16th 2024] : Even if the truth about Nord Stream is inconvenient, it must come out. Translation : I'll just say : *this*. It's highly likely written by editor in chief Marchen Geertsen.