John Hjorth

Actually, great entertainment value, @Xerxes .

A LinkedIn post by my [Danish] Minister of Foreigh Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen, as a token and sign of the current sentiment here in Europe : I think it gives a representative and fair view of the actual and current European sentiment. In short, we are about to finally get it and get real and house-trained, so we can stay home alone. It's a war in Europe, therefore a war for Europe to fix and to end. Thus for European countries to do what's required in that regard, thus get the big purse at its place, and pay! - - - o 0 o - - - ISW - Institute For The Study of War [February 21st 2025] : Ukraine Fact Sheet, February 21, 2025 Sources and supplementary comments etc. available in the article.

Thank you for sharing, @gfp, It reads a bit 'wild' to me that a production process can escalate to such proportions of a local calamity. But what do I know about that.

There are some really fascinating stories laying around here on CofB&F about the past. One thing is experiencing Sanjeev [ @Parsad ], as if he was in a candy store under a fire sale, ref. above [lol!], while everything was collapsing and going down? Guts certainly required! How about a story about a pair [the male being a CofB&F member, reporting here, I forgot who], standing on a Sunday afternoon, looking at the car getting car washed at the gas station [, as one do] , hubby asking wifey [, so, casually, you know, all while both staring at the car getting washed] : 'Is it OK I dump all your stuff tomorrow, to go all in on BAC WFC, which is extremely cheap by now?', wifey stating , after a short explanation provided by hubby : 'Go for it!'

Now share your corruption fidings with us - all of us - , here on CofB&F, Mike [ @cubsfan ] and @james22 .

@Spekulatius, It's entertaining, yet still really depressing thinking about it.

The first three years of my CofB&F membership, I wasen't really participating on the board, instead I was reading - sucking up! - sucking up knowledge here on CofB&F from other board members, just reading the board!, at about 100 posts within the first three years, I think - or something thereabout. I still remember this : CofB&F [CofB&F member Parsad][February 17 19th 2009] : Buy Berkshire!

Thank you, @73 Reds, Reading your post makes me distance my self from the idea to do so. I think I could easily figure out more meaningful, positive, joyable and entertaining ways, to make the rest of my life more miserable, than messing around with Berkshire options, thank you.

Hi @SafetyinNumbers, It's a good, straight, direct and by priciple a simple question, but it actually creates a brainstorm thinking about it : I would say max. eight [8] per cent, unless capital allocation [which in recent years has lagged cash generation severely] gets up to speed again, to the former modus operandi with regular acquisitions of sufficient size at reasonable prices. Rolling T-Bills at the actual extent and level as done now at Berkshire hurts and interrupts - al least partly - compounding and capital generation in a material way. New good stuff at reasonable prices needs to be added to get to the next level of earnings. -And we will continue to discuss from now till doomsday why it isen't really happening by now, right? For me personally, eight per cent is still progress after tax and recent local inflation below two percent, and with a material part of the taxes deferred. There are small positive signs here and there, if one is observant, though. From the 2024 Shareholder Letter one gets the impression of close cooperation between Mr. Buffett and the man to take his place one day, which is good. A boatload of cash, approx. USD 68 billion [USD 67,826 million] has in 2024 been moved from - most likely - the insurance subsidiaries - to Berkshire Hathaway, the parent company. For me personally, hopefully not for dividends, but for buying stuff other than T-bills, - treasury shares, or acquisition of something good and big stuff, to move the needle. [p. K-119 :]

@schin, Remember i.e. 1978 ? : Mr. Buffett has asked Marc Hamburg for a specification of the 2024 pre tax earnings and after tax earnings divided and specified into each separate contributor, by each subsidiary and the parent. Marc Hamburg then enters the Berkshire consolidation systems report generator, and pushes a button to generate such a priori set up report, and hands the report out to Mr. Buffett, likely a 5 - 6 pages long specification. To could explain how group equity at the beginning of the year ties to group equity at the end of the year via added group earnings for the year, paid out dividends and other equity changes during the year is the ultimate control that your consolidation is correct. Real men eat asbestos with milk for breakfast, goes on vacation in Tjernobyl, and can do consolidation manually by hand, the old fashion way, in green sheets. Nowadays it's all run on special consolidation software, the most fascinating accounting software that exists, because it's also a groupwide collaboration tool, with each subsidiary participating in the process, at Berkshire, quarterly. [Hyperion, SAP, AARO et. al., all awesome!]

Mike [ @cubsfan ], Here, you are right by your logic in your last sentence in your post above. Reading around 'Rating Group', you'll find it's beyond the control of Putin. It's Ukranian, yes. Other CofB&F board members have already provided answers upstream to your question about why Zelenskyj hasen't held free and fair elections by now.

Thank you, @73 Reds , Personally, and for personal tax reasons [being a Dane] I concur with you on 'Berkshire dividends' [perhaps I should call it 'Lack of ...' in stead]. What is your personal stance on taking on [modest] margin against investing in Berkshire? - I have for a long time wanted to ask you this question, actually.

Yeah, @longlake95, the above posted by me, a Dane, from microscopic Denmark, who managed some time ago to skip both the cane and crutches, to go directly to the rollator [it actually means : four support wheels!] , 28 years junior to Mr. Buffett. The wheel chair - by hard physical work four times a week - has been moved out in the horizon, though. In the process, I've learned a thing, or two, about life, and the meaning of it. - - - o 0 o - - - Thursday, my physiotherapist said to me : 'Forget everything about getting rid of the rollator by first of April, based on how you're doing today! - It may end up being first of May or First of June.' If there is anything that still can get my p*ss boiling it's people telling me what I can not do. I'm still up for the challenge. Just to appreciate his challenge, when I got home from him, I ordered, to delivery at his workplace, delivered Friday, his work day off : Matthew Walker : 'Why we sleep' [He's pursuing an a priori doomed endeavour of getting me correctional directed against not beeing a night owl, and he'll fail on that - Yet, I still try to listen ...]

Somehow, my ''main fuse' blew' reading your above post, @Ulti

It's true, Charlie [ @dealraker ], Mr. Bloomstran is indeed promotional, his letters gradually becoming an integrated part of his brand, and branding, branding of his business [read : AUM]. However, we all have our personal freedoms to decide for our selves about what to do with our saved and compounded capital. I personally use his annnually work to gauge [, with no real precision, should be said], if I'm basically at the right path [, or not], with regard to [still?] holding a monstruous Berkshire position, to keep me and my household alive in this non-zero-sum game, no matter what.

Related to the POTUS 'dictator' statement related to Volodymyr Zelenskyj : Rating Group - [ratinggroup.ua] [February 21st 2025] : Attitudes toward specific European leaders : - - - o 0 o - - - Belonging PowerPoint Deck attached. RG_Ukraine_Monitoring_Leaders_САТІ_022025_ENG.pdf

Yes, and a natural, logical step, based on reality. It has now for many years been almost inhuman AGM conditions for Mr. Buffett and Mr. Munger, they are / were, after all - geriatrics, who should not suffer from loss of dignity, from publicly loosing steam and getting hit by fatigue. I don't recall which year, but Mr. Munger one year 'hit the wall' and got - visible - a bit drowsy. Amazing how Mr. Buffett all those years just has been pulling through like just another Energizer Bunny.

Thank you, Mike [ @boilermaker75 ], Mr. Bloomstran has this year intrinsic values of the A and B shares 'triangulated' as follows, btw. : A share : USD 782,952 [closing price yesterday : USD 718,750], B share : USD 522 [closing price yesterday : USD 478.74]. So, calculated discount, measured against estimated intrisic value [[522-478.74]/522] ~ 8 per cent. [p. 134 in the letter.]

It's actually a very good point about the situation for Germany by now, @Spekulatius, In every challenging situation is also the basis and foundation of a new opportunity, if one looks sufficiently around. It's time for some tailwind for Germany on the bicycle path, in stead of headwinds, that appear without end. There wil be a lot to do, all while European defense budgets are swelling and going beserk.

You're welcome, @Maverick47 , It's reasonable leisure reading, while we wait, wait and wait! - ~1½ hours to go!

Here the 2024 Letter is available - for starters : - - - o 0 o - - - Edit: P. 6, about Mr. Buffett getting philosophical about wills [ ] :: -Great, just great! ...

Car salesman insults in public about every potential non-US customer, callling the customers 'stupid'. Naturally, this is going to work out great. - - - o 0 o - - - I assure you : Not!

Thank you for your reply here, @Gamecock-YT. Food for thought.

+1. Intesting stance. Thank you.

All *BS*, basically. By which principles do you raise your own three kiddoes? Are your kiddoes allowed by you to telling you lies, and all is just good?