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Berkshire Decreases Moody's Stake: Smart Investing or Payback?

I don't buy the conspiracy theories. Buffett said much earlier in the crisis that Moody's intrinsic value had declined, perhaps substantially. I only wonder why he didn't trim his position earlier.

Buffett: Still Misunderstood After All These Years

He was criticizing hedgies for taking risks with OPM. They basically dupe others into investing and take huge fees whether or not they actually make money. In contrast, Berkshire is investing its own money, earned from float. Not quite the same as OPM.

Even Warren Buffett Has 'Issues'

The comment above is a little harsh, but the fact is that none of the downgrades of Berkshire have anything to do with Buffett's investing acumen. He's still good. In Berkshire, he's put together an insurance conglomerate that is still going strong. I don't think his equity investments did markedly worse than the S&P and they're only a portion of Berkshire's holdings.

Berkshire Hathaway: Climate Change Impacts Insurers

Under Obama's budget proposal, most of the funds from permit auctions are rebated to consumers through the making work pay tax credit. Under these circumstances, regulators would be more inclined to allow reasonable rate increases.

If I recall correctly, Berkshire's annual report noted that Midamerican had made significant investments in wind energy. They will raise their rates less than other utilities who have not made alternative energy investments.

The Sears Mistake

Warren holds cash when he can't find compelling values - meaning that he will be in a position to take advantage if the market stumbles or a particular company stumbles.

As to Sears, if Eddie plans to keep it as a retailer, he's running the place into the ground. He's trying to run a retailer like a hedge fund and failing. Ironically, I'm effectively long Sears because of a large investment in the Fairholme fund, which trusts his leadership.

Three Stocks We're Long With High Conviction

Tilson runs a hedge fund. He's not obligated to tell non-owners when he purchases stocks. You can buy into Tilson Focus, his mutual fund, if you like. In fact, it's doing relatively well this year, having only lost about 15%.

WaMu Shows, Again, Smart Money Can Be Wrong

FYI, Bill Nygren finally learned his lesson and sold out of Wamu in Oakmark, Oakmark Select and Oakmark Global Select. There's a brief announcement on the website with a promise to explain his reasoning further in the coming shareholder report.

I'm using tabs in Firefox. The page was titled "A Message on Washington Mutual". I have a number of tabs open, and I saw "A Mess..."

Buffet Scoops Up an Energy Casualty

Is there anyone who will take me up on the following bet: under Berkshire, Constellation will eliminate its trading division.

What Should We Make of Warren Buffett's Stake in Mega-Financials?

for the record, Capital One (COF) is no longer rated as wide moat. has it been dropped from WMW?

I do think Capital One is a buy at today's price, and I think it can widen its moat over time. actually, it was upgraded to wide moat not too long ago, and then downgraded after the credit crisis.