Note: The following table appears in the printed Annual Report on the
facing page of the Chairman's Letter and is referred to in that letter.
附註:下表係董事長致股東信的參考資料,並載於年度報告的封面。
Berkshire's Corporate Performance vs. the S& 500
Berkshire vs S& 500指數的比較表
Annual Percentage Change
Year
in Per-Share
in Per-Share
Book Value of
Berkshire
(1) (1)
in S& 500
in S& 500
with Dividends
Included
(2) (2)
Relative
Relative
Results
(1)-(2)
1965
23.8
10.0 10.
13.8 13.
1966
20.3
(11.7)
32.0 32.
1967
11.0
30.9 30.
(19.9)
1968
19.0
11.0 11.
8.0 8.
1969
16.2
(8.4)
24.6 24.
1970
12.0
3.9 3.
8.1 8.
1971
16.4
14.6 14.
1.8 1.
1972
21.7
18.9 18.
2.8 2.
1973
4.7
(14.8)
19.5 19.
1974
5.5
(26.4)
31.9 31.
1975
21.9
37.2 37.
(15.3)
1976
59.3
23.6 23.
35.7 35.
1977
31.9
(7.4)
39.3 39.
1978
24.0
6.4 6.
17.6 17.
1979
35.7
18.2 18.
17.5 17.
1980
19.3
32.3 32.
(13.0)
1981
31.4
(5.0)
36.4 36.
1982
40.0
21.4 21.
18.6 18.
1983
32.3
22.4 22.
9.9 9.
1984
13.6
6.1 6.
7.5 7.
1985
48.2
31.6 31.
16.6 16.
1986
26.1
18.6 18.
7.5 7.
1987
19.5
5.1 5.
14.4 14.
1988
20.1
16.6 16.
3.5 3.
1989
44.4
31.7 31.
12.7 12.
1990
7.4
(3.1)
10.5 10.
1991
39.6
30.5 30.
9.1 9.
1992
20.3
7.6 7.
12.7 12.
1993
14.3
10.1 10.
4.2 4.
1994
13.9
1.3 1.
12.6 12.
1995
43.1
37.6 37.
5.5 5.
1996
31.8
23.0 23.
8.8 8.
1997
34.1
33.4 33.
.7 .
1998
48.3
28.6 .
19.7 19.
1999
.5
21.0 21.
(20.5)
2000
6.5
(9.1)
15.6 15.
Average Annual Gain - 1965-2000
23.6%
11.8% 11.8
11.8% 11.8
Overall Gain - 1964-2000
207,821%
5,383% 5,383
202,438% 202,438
Notes:
Data are for calendar years with these exceptions: 1965 and 1966, year ended 9/30;
1967, 15 months ended 12/31.
資料以歷年制為準,除了1965年及1966年係至9/30;1967年則為至12/31的15個月。
Starting in 1979, accounting rules required insurance companies to value the equity
securities they hold at market rather than at the lower of cost or market, which was
previously the requirement. In this table, Berkshire's results through 1978 have been
restated to conform to the changed rules. In all other respects, the results are calculated
using the numbers originally reported.
The S& 500 numbers are pre-tax whereas the Berkshire numbers are after-tax. If a
corporation such as Berkshire were simply to have owned the S& 500 and accrued the
appropriate taxes, its results would have lagged the S& 500 in years when that index
showed a positive return, but would have exceeded the S& in years when the index
showed a negative return. Over the years, the tax costs would have caused the
aggregate lag to be substantial.
Our gain in net worth during 2000 was $3.96 billion, which
increased the per-share book value of both our Class A and Class B
stock by 6.5%. Over the last 36 years (that is, since present management
took over) per-share book value has grown from $19 to $40,442, a gain
of 23.6% compounded annually.*
* * All figures used in this report apply to Berhire's A shares, the successor to the only stock
that the company had outstanding before 1996. The B shares have an economic interest equal
to 1/30th that of the A.
Overall, we had a decent year, our book-value gain having outpaced
the performance of the S&P 500. And, though this judgment is
necessarily subjective, we believe Berkshire’s gain in per-share intrinsic
value moderately exceeded its gain in book value. (Intrinsic value, as
well as other key investment and accounting terms and concepts, are
explained in our Owner’s Manual on pages 59-66. Intrinsic value is
discussed on page 64.)
Furthermore, we completed two significant acquisitions that we
negotiated in 1999 and initiated six more. All told, these purchases
have cost us about $8 billion, with 97% of that amount paid in cash and
3% in stock. The eight businesses we’ve acquired have aggregate sales
of about $13 billion and employ 58,000 people. Still, we incurred no
debt in making these purchases, and our shares outstanding have
increased only 1/3 of 1%. Better yet, we remain awash in liquid assets and
are both eager and ready for even larger acquisitions.
I will detail our purchases in the next section of the report. But I will
tell you now that we have embraced the 21st century by entering such
cutting-edge industries as brick, carpet, insulation and paint. Try to
control your excitement.
On the minus side, policyholder growth at GEICO slowed to a halt as
the year progressed. It has become much more expensive to obtain new
business. I told you last year that we would get our money’s worth from
stepped-up advertising at GEICO in 2000, but I was wrong. We’ll
examine the reasons later in the report.
Another negative - which has persisted for several years - is that we
see our equity portfolio as only mildly attractive. We own stocks of some
excellent businesses, but most of our holdings are fully priced and are
unlikely to deliver more than moderate returns in the future. We’re not
alone in facing this problem: The long-term prospect for equities in
general is far from exciting.
Finally, there is the negative that recurs annually: Charlie Munger,
Berkshire’s Vice Chairman and my partner, and I are a year older than
when we last reported to you. Mitigating this adverse development is
the indisputable fact that the age of your top managers is increasing at a
considerably lower rate - percentage-wise - than is the case at almost
all other major corporations. Better yet, this differential will widen in the
future.
Charlie and I continue to aim at increasing Berkshire’s per-share
value at a rate that, over time, will modestly exceed the gain from
owning the S&P 500. As the table on the facing page shows, a small
annual advantage in our favor can, if sustained, produce an anything-
but-small long-term advantage. To reach our goal we will need to add a
few good businesses to Berkshire’s stable each year, have the
businesses we own generally gain in value, and avoid any material
increase in our outstanding shares. We are confident about meeting the
last two objectives; the first will require some luck.
It’s appropriate here to thank two groups that made my job both
easy and fun last year - just as they do every year. First, our operating
managers continue to run their businesses in splendid fashion, which
allows me to spend my time allocating capital rather than supervising
them. (I wouldn’t be good at that anyway.)
Our managers are a very special breed. At most large companies, the
truly talented divisional managers seldom have the job they really want.
Instead they yearn to become CEOs, either at their present employer or
elsewhere. Indeed, if they stay put, they and their colleagues are likely
to feel they have failed.
At Berkshire, our all-stars have exactly the jobs they want, ones that
they hope and expect to keep throughout their business lifetimes. They
therefore concentrate solely on maximizing the long-term value of the
businesses that they "own" and love. If the businesses succeed, they
have succeeded. And they stick with us: In our last 36 years, Berkshire
has never had a manager of a significant subsidiary voluntarily leave to
join another business.
The other group to which I owe enormous thanks is the home-office
staff. After the eight acquisitions more than doubled our worldwide
workforce to about 112,000, Charlie and I went soft last year and added
one more person at headquarters. (Charlie, bless him, never lets me
forget Ben Franklin’s advice: "A small leak can sink a great ship.") Now
we have 13.8 people.
This tiny band works miracles. In 2000 it handled all of the details
connected with our eight acquisitions, processed extensive regulatory
and tax filings (our tax return covers 4,896 pages), smoothly produced
an annual meeting to which 25,000 tickets were issued, and accurately
dispensed checks to 3,660 charities designated by our shareholders. In
addition, the group dealt with all the routine tasks served up by a
company with a revenue run-rate of $40 billion and more than 300,000
owners. And, to add to all of this, the other 12.8 are a delight to be
around.
Our acquisition technique at Berkshire is simplicity itself: We answer
the phone. I’m also glad to report that it rings a bit more often now,
because owners and/or managers increasingly wish to join their
companies with Berkshire. Our acquisition criteria are set forth on page
23, and the number to call is 402-346-1400.
Let me tell you a bit about the businesses we have purchased during
the past 14 months, starting with the two transactions that were
initiated in 1999, but closed in 2000. (This list excludes some smaller
purchases that were made by the managers of our subsidiaries and that,
in most cases, will be integrated into their operations.)
I described the first purchase - 76% of MidAmerican Energy - in
last year’s report. Because of regulatory constraints on our voting
privileges, we perform only a "one-line" consolidation of
MidAmerican’s earnings and equity in our financial statements. If
we instead fully consolidated the company’s figures, our revenues
in 2000 would have been $5 billion greater than we reported,
though net income would remain the same.
第一個案子是中美能源76%的股權,在去年的報告中,我就曾提到,由
於行政法規限制我們對該公司的控制權,所以我們只能透過長期投資權益
法,將該公司的盈餘與權益納入母公司的財務報表之上,事實上要是能夠
將該公司的財務數字充分反應在母公司的帳上,則Berkshire的營收將至
少增加50億美元以上,當然損益數字並不會有任何變化。作者: qihaitao 时间: 2003-4-30 17:15
On November 23, 1999, I received a one-page fax from Bruce
Cort that appended a Washington Post article describing an
aborted buyout of CORT Business Services. Despite his name,
Bruce has no connection with CORT. Rather, he is an airplane
broker who had sold Berkshire a jet in 1986 and who, before the
fax, had not been in touch with me for about ten years.
1999年11月23號我收到由Bruce Cort署名的傳真,後附一篇刊登在
華盛頓郵報有關CORT商業服務公司標購失敗的新聞,事實上,除了名
字巧合之外,Bruce Cort與CORT公司完全沒有關係,這位先生是一位
中古飛機仲介商,巧合的是,他本人還曾經在1986年賣過一架飛機給
Berkshire,在這張傳真之前,我已經有十年沒有跟他有過任何接觸。
I knew nothing about CORT, but I immediately printed out its SEC
filings and liked what I saw. That same day I told Bruce I had a
possible interest and asked him to arrange a meeting with Paul
Arnold, CORT’s CEO. Paul and I got together on November 29,
and I knew at once that we had the right ingredients for a
purchase: a fine though unglamorous business, an outstanding
manager, and a price (going by that on the failed deal) that made
sense.
Operating out of 117 showrooms, CORT is the national leader in
"rent-to-rent" furniture, primarily used in offices but also by
temporary occupants of apartments. This business, it should be
noted, has no similarity to "rent-to-own" operations, which
usually involve the sale of home furnishings and electronics to
people having limited income and poor credit.
We quickly purchased CORT for Wesco, our 80%-owned
subsidiary, paying about $386 million in cash. You will find more
details about CORT’s operations in Wesco’s 1999 and 2000
annual reports. Both Charlie and I enjoy working with Paul, and
CORT looks like a good bet to beat our original expectations.
Early last year, Ron Ferguson of General Re put me in contact with
Bob Berry, whose family had owned U.S. Liability for 49 years. This
insurer, along with two sister companies, is a medium-sized,
highly-respected writer of unusual risks - "excess and surplus
lines" in insurance jargon. After Bob and I got in touch, we agreed
by phone on a half-stock, half-cash deal.
去年初,通用再保的董事長Ron Ferguson幫我聯絡上Bob Berry,其家
族49年來一直擁有美國責任險公司,這家保險公司,加上其他兩家姊妹
公司都是屬於中小型、聲譽卓著的特殊險保險公司,套句保險業界的行
話,那是好又多的業務,而Bob在與我接觸之後,也同意以一半股票,
一半現金的方式進行交易。
In recent years, Tom Nerney has managed the operation for the
Berry family and has achieved a rare combination of excellent
growth and unusual profitability. Tom is a powerhouse in other
ways as well. In addition to having four adopted children (two
from Russia), he has an extended family: the Philadelphia Belles, a
young-teen girls basketball team that Tom coaches. The team
had a 62-4 record last year and finished second in the AAU
national tournament.
Ben Bridge Jeweler was another purchase we made by phone,
prior to any face-to-face meeting between me and the
management. Ed Bridge, who with his cousin, Jon, manages this
65-store West Coast retailer, is a friend of Barnett Helzberg, from
whom we bought Helzberg Diamonds in 1995. Upon learning that
the Bridge family proposed to sell its company, Barnett gave
Berkshire a strong recommendation. Ed then called and explained
his business to me, also sending some figures, and we made a
deal, again half for cash and half for stock.
Ben Bridge珠寶公司是另外一件靠電話成交的個案,在這之前我們雙方
連面對面談話都沒有,Ed Bridge是Barnett Helzberg的好朋友,1995
年我們向Barnett買下賀茲柏格珠寶,Ed跟他的姪子Jon共同經營這家
位於西岸擁有65家分店的珠寶公司,在聽到Bridge有意出售公司之後,
Barnett立刻強烈建議Berkshire買進,於是Ed打電話向我說明公司營
運的狀況,同時送了一些報表資料過來,然後雙方就此成交,這次一樣是
一半現金,一半股票。
Ed and Jon are fourth generation owner-managers of a business
started 89 years ago in Seattle. Both the business and the family -
including Herb and Bob, the fathers of Jon and Ed - enjoy
extraordinary reputations. Same-store sales have increased by
9%, 11%, 13%, 10%, 12%, 21% and 7% over the past seven years, a
truly remarkable record.
It was vital to the family that the company operate in the future as
in the past. No one wanted another jewelry chain to come in and
decimate the organization with ideas about synergy and cost
saving (which, though they would never work, were certain to be
tried). I told Ed and Jon that they would be in charge, and they
knew I could be believed: After all, it’s obvious that your
Chairman would be a disaster at actually running a store or selling
jewelry (though there are members of his family who have earned
black belts as purchasers).
In their typically classy way, the Bridges allocated a substantial
portion of the proceeds from their sale to the hundreds of co-
workers who had helped the company achieve its success. We’re
proud to be associated with both the family and the company.
In July we acquired Justin Industries, the leading maker of Western
boots - including the Justin, Tony Lama, Nocona, and Chippewa
brands - and the premier producer of brick in Texas and five
neighboring states.
同年七月,我們買下西式靴子的領導廠商Justin企業,旗下品牌包含
Justin、Tony Lama、Nocona及Chippewa,同時他們也是德州以及鄰
近五州磚塊的主要製造商。
Here again, our acquisition involved serendipity. On May 4th, I
received a fax from Mark Jones, a stranger to me, proposing that
Berkshire join a group to acquire an unnamed company. I faxed
him back, explaining that with rare exceptions we don’t invest
with others, but would happily pay him a commission if he sent
details and we later made a purchase. He replied that the "mystery
company" was Justin. I then went to Fort Worth to meet John
Roach, chairman of the company and John Justin, who had built
the business and was its major shareholder. Soon after, we
bought Justin for $570 million in cash.
再一次我們的購併之旅充滿了驚奇,5月4號我收到一位署名Mark Jones
的傳真,我根本就不認識這個人,他提議Berkshire可以參與購併一家不
知名的公司,我回傳真給他,表示除非是特例,否則我們很少跟別人一起
參與投資,不過要是他肯把資料送給我們參考,事後若購併成功,我們願
意支付他一筆介紹費,他回覆說這家神祕公司叫做Justin,於是我便到
Fort Worth與該公司董事長-John Roach及創辦人兼大股東John Justin
會面,不久之後,我們順利以5.7億美元的現金買下Justin公司。
John Justin loved Justin Industries but had been forced to retire
because of severe health problems (which sadly led to his death in
late February). John was a class act - as a citizen, businessman
and human being. Fortunately, he had groomed two outstanding
managers, Harrold Melton at Acme and Randy Watson at Justin
Boot, each of whom runs his company autonomously.
Acme, the larger of the two operations, produces more than one
billion bricks per year at its 22 plants, about 11.7% of the
industry’s national output. The brick business, however, is
necessarily regional, and in its territory Acme enjoys
unquestioned leadership. When Texans are asked to name a
brand of brick, 75% respond Acme, compared to 16% for the
runner-up. (Before our purchase, I couldn’t have named a brand
of brick. Could you have?) This brand recognition is not only due
to Acme’s product quality, but also reflects many decades of
extraordinary community service by both the company and John
Justin.
I can’t resist pointing out that Berkshire - whose top management
has long been mired in the 19th century - is now one of the very
few authentic "clicks-and-bricks" businesses around. We went
into 2000 with GEICO doing significant business on the Internet,
and then we added Acme. You can bet this move by Berkshire is
making them sweat in Silicon Valley.
In June, Bob Shaw, CEO of Shaw Industries, the world’s largest
carpet manufacturer, came to see me with his partner, Julian Saul,
and the CEO of a second company with which Shaw was mulling a
merger. The potential partner, however, faced huge asbestos
liabilities from past activities, and any deal depended on these
being eliminated through insurance.
六月,Bob Shaw-Shaw企業的總裁-該公司是全世界最大的地毯製造
商,帶著其夥伴-Julian Saul(同行還有一位正與Shaw企業洽談合併的公
司總裁),一起來見我,後者因為石綿案面臨潛在龐大的訴訟賠償,而合
併交易能否成功要看這些或有負債能否透過保險來解決。
The executives visiting me wanted Berkshire to provide a policy
that would pay all future asbestos costs. I explained that though
we could write an exceptionally large policy - far larger than any
other insurer would ever think of offering - we would never issue
a policy that lacked a cap.
Bob and Julian decided that if we didn’t want to bet the ranch on
the extent of the acquiree’s liability, neither did they. So their deal
died. But my interest in Shaw was sparked, and a few months later
Charlie and I met with Bob to work out a purchase by Berkshire. A
key feature of the deal was that both Bob and Julian were to
continue owning at least 5% of Shaw. This leaves us associated
with the best in the business as shown by Bob and Julian’s record:
Each built a large, successful carpet business before joining
forces in 1998.
Shaw has annual sales of about $4 billion, and we own 87.3% of
the company. Leaving aside our insurance operation, Shaw is by
far our largest business. Now, if people walk all over us, we won’t
mind.
In July, Bob Mundheim, a director of Benjamin Moore Paint, called
to ask if Berkshire might be interested in acquiring it. I knew Bob
from Salomon, where he was general counsel during some
difficult times, and held him in very high regard. So my answer
was "Tell me more."
七月,Bob Mundheim-Benjamin油漆公司的董事打電話給我,問到
Berkshire是否有興趣買下該公司,我是在所羅門時代認識Bob的,當時
他在該公司最困難的時候提供了許多寶貴的意見,我本人對他相當的敬
重,所以我立即表示:「請繼續說。」
In late August, Charlie and I met with Richard Roob and Yvan
Dupuy, past and present CEOs of Benjamin Moore. We liked them;
we liked the business; and we made a $1 billion cash offer on the
spot. In October, their board approved the transaction, and we
completed it in December. Benjamin Moore has been making
paint for 117 years and has thousands of independent dealers
that are a vital asset to its business. Make sure you specify our
product for your next paint job.
Finally, in late December, we agreed to buy Johns Manville Corp.
for about $1.8 billion. This company’s incredible odyssey over the
last few decades - too multifaceted to be chronicled here - was
shaped by its long history as a manufacturer of asbestos
products. The much-publicized health problems that affected
many people exposed to asbestos led to JM’s declaring
bankruptcy in 1982.
最後在十二月底,我們同意以18億美元買下Johns Manville公司(簡稱
JM),這家公司過去幾十年來創造了令人難以置信的傳奇-族煩不及備載,
其中又以生產石綿產品最為著名,當時因為石綿引發許多人致癌的健康問
題而導致該公司在1982年宣佈申請破產。作者: qihaitao 时间: 2003-4-30 17:17
Subsequently, the bankruptcy court established a trust for
victims, the major asset of which was a controlling interest in JM.
The trust, which sensibly wanted to diversify its assets, agreed
last June to sell the business to an LBO buyer. In the end, though,
the LBO group was unable to obtain financing.
Consequently, the deal was called off on Friday, December 8th.
The following Monday, Charlie and I called Bob Felise, chairman of
the trust, and made an all-cash offer with no financing
contingencies. The next day the trustees voted tentatively to
accept our offer, and a week later we signed a contract.
之後到了12月8號星期五交易正式宣佈取消,隔週,查理跟我打電話給
Bob Felise-該信託基金的董事會主席,提出全部現金不必等候融資的條
件,隔天信託基金臨時表決接受我們的提案,並於一個星期後正式簽訂契
約。
JM is the nation’s leading producer of commercial and industrial
insulation and also has major positions in roofing systems and a
variety of engineered products. The company’s sales exceed $2
billion and the business has earned good, if cyclical, returns. Jerry
Henry, JM’s CEO, had announced his retirement plans a year ago,
but I’m happy to report that Charlie and I have convinced him to
stick around.
Two economic factors probably contributed to the rush of
acquisition activity we experienced last year. First, many managers and
owners foresaw near-term slowdowns in their businesses - and, in fact,
we purchased several companies whose earnings will almost certainly
decline this year from peaks they reached in 1999 or 2000. The declines
make no difference to us, given that we expect all of our businesses to
now and then have ups and downs. (Only in the sales presentations of
investment banks do earnings move forever upward.) We don’t care
about the bumps; what matters are the overall results. But the decisions
of other people are sometimes affected by the near-term outlook, which
can both spur sellers and temper the enthusiasm of purchasers who
might otherwise compete with us.
A second factor that helped us in 2000 was that the market for junk
bonds dried up as the year progressed. In the two preceding years, junk
bond purchasers had relaxed their standards, buying the obligations of
ever-weaker issuers at inappropriate prices. The effects of this laxity
were felt last year in a ballooning of defaults. In this environment,
"financial" buyers of businesses - those who wish to buy using only a
sliver of equity - became unable to borrow all they thought they needed.
What they could still borrow, moreover, came at a high price.
Consequently, LBO operators became less aggressive in their bidding
when businesses came up for sale last year. Because we analyze
purchases on an all-equity basis, our evaluations did not change, which
means we became considerably more competitive.
Aside from the economic factors that benefited us, we now enjoy a
major and growing advantage in making acquisitions in that we are
often the buyer of choice for the seller. That fact, of course, doesn’t
assure a deal - sellers have to like our price, and we have to like their
business and management - but it does help.
We find it meaningful when an owner cares about whom he sells to.
We like to do business with someone who loves his company, not just
the money that a sale will bring him (though we certainly understand
why he likes that as well). When this emotional attachment exists, it
signals that important qualities will likely be found within the business:
honest accounting, pride of product, respect for customers, and a loyal
group of associates having a strong sense of direction. The reverse is
apt to be true, also. When an owner auctions off his business, exhibiting
a total lack of interest in what follows, you will frequently find that it has
been dressed up for sale, particularly when the seller is a "financial
owner." And if owners behave with little regard for their business and its
people, their conduct will often contaminate attitudes and practices
throughout the company.
When a business masterpiece has been created by a lifetime - or
several lifetimes - of unstinting care and exceptional talent, it should be
important to the owner what corporation is entrusted to carry on its
history. Charlie and I believe Berkshire provides an almost unique home.
We take our obligations to the people who created a business very
seriously, and Berkshire’s ownership structure ensures that we can
fulfill our promises. When we tell John Justin that his business will
remain headquartered in Fort Worth, or assure the Bridge family that its
operation will not be merged with another jeweler, these sellers can take
those promises to the bank.
How much better it is for the "painter" of a business Rembrandt to
personally select its permanent home than to have a trust officer or
uninterested heirs auction it off. Throughout the years we have had
great experiences with those who recognize that truth and apply it to
their business creations. We’ll leave the auctions to others.
The Economics of Property/Casualty Insurance
產物意外險的經營
Our main business - though we have others of great importance - is
insurance. To understand Berkshire, therefore, it is necessary that you
understand how to evaluate an insurance company. The key
determinants are: (1) the amount of float that the business generates;
(2) its cost; and (3) most critical of all, the long-term outlook for both of
these factors.
To begin with, float is money we hold but don't own. In an insurance
operation, float arises because premiums are received before losses are
paid, an interval that sometimes extends over many years. During that
time, the insurer invests the money. This pleasant activity typically
carries with it a downside: The premiums that an insurer takes in usually
do not cover the losses and expenses it eventually must pay. That leaves
it running an "underwriting loss," which is the cost of float. An insurance
business has value if its cost of float over time is less than the cost the
company would otherwise incur to obtain funds. But the business is a
lemon if its cost of float is higher than market rates for money.
A caution is appropriate here: Because loss costs must be estimated,
insurers have enormous latitude in figuring their underwriting results,
and that makes it very difficult for investors to calculate a company's
true cost of float. Errors of estimation, usually innocent but sometimes
not, can be huge. The consequences of these miscalculations flow
directly into earnings. An experienced observer can usually detect
large-scale errors in reserving, but the general public can typically do
no more than accept what's presented, and at times I have been amazed
by the numbers that big-name auditors have implicitly blessed. Both the
income statements and balance sheets of insurers can be minefields.
At Berkshire, we strive to be both consistent and conservative in our
reserving. But we will make mistakes. And we warn you that there is
nothing symmetrical about surprises in the insurance business: They
almost always are unpleasant.
The table that follows shows (at intervals) the float generated by the
various segments of Berkshire’s insurance operations since we entered
the business 34 years ago upon acquiring National Indemnity Company
(whose traditional lines are included in the segment "Other Primary").
For the table we have calculated our float - which we generate in large
amounts relative to our premium volume - by adding net loss reserves,
loss adjustment reserves, funds held under reinsurance assumed and
unearned premium reserves, and then subtracting insurance-related
receivables, prepaid acquisition costs, prepaid taxes and deferred
charges applicable to assumed reinsurance. (Don’t panic, there won’t be
a quiz.)
Year
GEICO
General Re
Other
Reinsurance
Other
Primary
Total
1967
20
20
1977
40
131
171
1987
701
807
1,508
1997
2,917
4,014
455
7,386
1998
3,125
14,909
4,305
415
22,754
1999
3,444
15,166
6,285
403
25,298
2000
3,943
15,525
7,805
598
27,871
We’re pleased by the growth in our float during 2000 but not happy
with its cost. Over the years, our cost of float has been very close to
zero, with the underwriting profits realized in most years offsetting the
occasional terrible year such as 1984, when our cost was a staggering
19%. In 2000, however, we had an underwriting loss of $1.6 billion,
which gave us a float cost of 6%. Absent a mega-catastrophe, we expect
our float cost to fall in 2001 - perhaps substantially - in large part
because of corrections in pricing at General Re that should increasingly
be felt as the year progresses. On a smaller scale, GEICO may
experience the same improving trend.
There are two factors affecting our cost of float that are very rare at
other insurers but that now loom large at Berkshire. First, a few insurers
that are currently experiencing large losses have offloaded a significant
portion of these on us in a manner that penalizes our current earnings
but gives us float we can use for many years to come. After the loss that
we incur in the first year of the policy, there are no further costs
attached to this business.
When these policies are properly priced, we welcome the pain-today,
gain-tomorrow effects they have. In 1999, $400 million of our
underwriting loss (about 27.8% of the total) came from business of this
kind and in 2000 the figure was $482 million (34.4% of our loss). We
have no way of predicting how much similar business we will write in the
future, but what we do get will typically be in large chunks. Because
these transactions can materially distort our figures, we will tell you
about them as they occur.
Other reinsurers have little taste for this insurance. They simply can’t
stomach what huge underwriting losses do to their reported results,
even though these losses are produced by policies whose overall
economics are certain to be favorable. You should be careful, therefore,
in comparing our underwriting results with those of other insurers.
An even more significant item in our numbers - which, again, you
won’t find much of elsewhere - arises from transactions in which we
assume past losses of a company that wants to put its troubles behind
it. To illustrate, the XYZ insurance company might have last year bought
a policy obligating us to pay the first $1 billion of losses and loss
adjustment expenses from events that happened in, say, 1995 and
earlier years. These contracts can be very large, though we always
require a cap on our exposure. We entered into a number of such
transactions in 2000 and expect to close several more in 2001.
Under GAAP accounting, this "retroactive" insurance neither benefits
nor penalizes our current earnings. Instead, we set up an asset called
"deferred charges applicable to assumed reinsurance," in an amount
reflecting the difference between the premium we receive and the
(higher) losses we expect to pay (for which reserves are immediately
established). We then amortize this asset by making annual charges to
earnings that create equivalent underwriting losses. You will find the
amount of the loss that we incur from these transactions in both our
quarterly and annual management discussion. By their nature, these
losses will continue for many years, often stretching into decades. As an
offset, though, we have the use of float - lots of it.
Clearly, float carrying an annual cost of this kind is not as desirable
as float we generate from policies that are expected to produce an
underwriting profit (of which we have plenty). Nevertheless, this
retroactive insurance should be decent business for us.
Managers thinking about accounting issues should never forget one of Abraham Lincoln's favorite riddles: "How many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?" The answer: "Four, because calling a tail a leg does not make it a leg." It behooves managers to remember that Abe's right even if an auditor is willing to certify that the tail is a leg.
( Buffett still hasn't sold a share of the holding company he started in 1965, but he and wife Susan gave 2,500 shares, now worth $145 million, to four unnamed charities last December.)
o巴菲特表示在他與其妻子死後,將會把他們大部份的財產捐給巴菲特基金會。
(Says bulk of his wealth will go to the Buffett Foundation when he and his wife pass away.)
(To silence the after-Buffett-what? nattering, Buffett indicated in March that Geico Corp. executive Louis Simpson, 60, could succeed him and longtime partner Charlie Munger at helm of Berkshire Hathaway.)
o 我們從不,也沒有,也不會對未來一年內的股市、利率或產業環境有任何看法。
"We do not have, never have had, and never will have an opinion about where the stock market, interest rates or business activity will be a year from now."
"Short-term market forecasts are poison and should be kept locked up in a safe place, away from children and also from grown-ups who behave in the market like children. "
o 有人問巴菲特預計什麼時後要退休,他回答: 「大約在我死後五到十年左右」。
Retirement date: "About 5 to 10 years after I die."
o 有人問巴菲特死後,其所投資的公司會有什麼影響,他回答: 「可口可樂短期間的銷售量可能會爆增,因為我打算在陪藏的飛機裏塞滿可口可樂」。
Retirement date: "About 5 to 10 years after I die."
o 巴菲特說︰「有生之年我都會繼續經營波克夏,之後我可能會透過降神會工作。」
"We don't attempt to predict the movements of the stock market,"
o 在購併General RE公司後,賣掉其所持有獲利不菲價值四十六億美金的美國零息公債後,債券仍持續大漲時,巴菲特淡淡地表示:「我們投入的早,不過賣得更早了一點」。
Uunloaded highly profitable $4.6 billion zero coupon U.S. Treasury position this year, but the Treasury zeroes kept climbing in price. "I got in early, and I got out early," he shrugs.
o儘管我們的組織登記為公司,但我們是以合夥的心態來經營。
(Although our form is corporate, our attitude is partnership.)
(In GEICO case, as in all of our investments, we look to business performance, not market performance. If we are correct in expectations regarding the business, the market eventually will follow along.)
o Phil Graham在擔任華盛頓郵報的發行人時曾說:「新聞日報是攥寫歷史的第一手草稿」,而很不幸的,產險業者所提供的年度財務報告,也可稱得上是該公司年度財務與經營狀況的第一手草稿。 (Phil Graham, when publisher of the Washington Post, described the daily newspaper as first rough draft of history? Unfortunately, the financial statements of a property/casualty insurer provide, at best, only a first rough draft of earnings and financial condition.)
o 在購併國際乳品公司時巴菲特說到:「我們把錢擺在吃得到的地方」。
(In making the acquisition of Dairy Queen, he said, "We have put our money where our mouth is.")
(I won’t close down businesses of sub-normal profitability merely to add a fraction of a point to our corporate rate of return. However, I also feel it inappropriate for even an exceptionally profitable company to fund an operation once it appears to have unending losses in prospect. Adam Smith would disagree with my first proposition, and Karl Marx would disagree with my second; the middle ground is the only position that leaves me comfortable.)
(A horse that can count to ten is a remarkable horse - not a remarkable mathematician.? Likewise , a textile company that allocates capital brilliantly within its industry is a remarkable textile company - but not a remarkable business.)
o巴菲特說︰「在波克夏我們不用去告訴一個打擊率四成的選手如何揮棒。」
o 1950年代巴菲特花了一百五十元去上卡內基課程,他說這麼做「不是為了讓我在演講時膝蓋不會發抖,而是要學會如何在膝蓋發抖時,還能繼續演講。」
"We understand technology, how businesses can apply it, its benefits, impact on society, etc. It's the predictability of the economics of the situation 10 years out that we don't understand. We would be skeptical that anyone can. I've spent a lot of time with Bill Gates and Andy Grove and they would say the same thing."
"I'm no good on these macro predictions. The good thing about my economic predictions is that I pay no attention to them whatsoever. We focus on what's important and knowable. Exchange rates and interest rates are not predictable. The way we pick our investments, macro conclusions never enter the discussion."
Charlie Munger, on the benefits that the Internet and technology are providing to society compared to the evils of stock speculation in these sectors: "When you mix raisins and turds, you've still got turds."
"For society, the Internet is wonderful, but for capitalists, it will be a net negative. It will increase efficiency, but lots of things increase efficiency without increasing profits.
Munger: "Our culture is very old-fashioned, like Ben Franklin or Andrew Carnegie. Can you imagine Andrew Carnegie hiring consultants?! It's amazing how well this approach still works. A lot of the businesses we buy are kind of cranky and old-fashioned like us."
We subscribe to the philosophy of Ogilvy & Mather’s founding genius, David Ogilvy: "If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But, if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants."
Asked by an 11-year-old shareholder what he attributed to successful investing, Munger replied: "If all you succeed in doing in life is getting rich by buying little pieces of paper, it's a failed life. Life is more than being shrewd in passive wealth accumulation."
巴菲特小故事
Julian Robertson's Tiger Fund and George Soros' Quantum Fund
"We don't consider ourselves in remotely the same business as Tiger and Quantum [both of which recently announced that they are closing down]. They are mostly buying and selling securities. We're structured poorly from a tax standpoint to own securities." (Corporations like Berkshire Hathaway pay a 35% tax rate on capital gains compared to 20% on long-term gains realized by private investment partnerships like Tiger and Quantum.) Munger added, "Soros couldn't bear to see others make money in the technology sector without him, and he got killed. It doesn't bother us at all [that others are making money in the tech sector]."
I'm quite fond of 1929, since that's when it all began for me. My dad was a stock salesman at the time, and after the Crash came, in the fall, he was afraid to call anyone--all those people who'd been burned. So he just stayed home in the afternoons. And there wasn't television then. Soooo ... I was conceived on or about Nov. 30, 1929 (and born nine months later, on Aug. 30, 1930), and I've forever had a kind of warm feeling about the Crash.
小罗伯特·海格士多姆在《沃伦·巴菲特之路》中写道:“那些有足够的素质能把报告(伯克希尔·哈斯维公司的年报)从第1页读到尾的人得到的回报将是一剂兼具金融知识、幽默、坦诚的良药。”大师在信函的最后,邀请股东们参加股东大会,会前要准备好最尖锐的问题,会中“我们将租用美国运通公司(这是伯克希尔目前投资最多的股票)为你们提供交通服务……很少有人能够抵御TPC(2002年伯克希尔最大金额的收购)食品展览的诱惑……我们的GEICO公司为股东们准备了各地的保险资料和最新信息,会给你们提供股东特殊折扣……伯克希尔旗下BORSHEIM珠宝首饰店也将为股东提供特别折扣,据说将低于同行20%的价格,买得越多就越省钱,这是我太太和女儿告诉我的至理名言……” 作者: 夜归灵 时间: 2003-6-11 13:49
楼上的提的很对,我在看巴菲特投资策略时也有这样的一种感觉。作者: qihaitao 时间: 2003-6-13 16:29
资本和财富的积累是一个渐进的过程,当越过临界点后,财富积累的速度会突然加快。对于巴非特来说,可能是100万美元,对于我们也许是100万人民币或1000万人民币。在达到临界点之前,我们的抗风险能力其实是很弱的,因此我认为在初始阶段更应当把控制风险作为第一要务,以便为财富的增长打下一个良好的基础。作者: netsafe 时间: 2003-7-16 15:19
you are a good man. thank you so much. i have learnt more from your materials. Thanks again.作者: marss 时间: 2003-7-20 21:51
价值投资理论和其他投资理论,其实都是围绕着基本的价值规律做的分析:商品的价格以价值量为基础,并围绕价值上下波动。价值投资理论,注重股票代表的有形和无形资产的价值,注重的是本质的东西;其他投资理论,分析的则是价格波动的规律。作者: qihaitao 时间: 2003-7-21 10:52
巴菲特、蝴蝶翅膀及SARS风暴
文/飘渺
-学习沃沦·巴菲特的《忠告股东》
巴菲特是美国的股神。
2003年2月21日,巴菲特随公司报表,发表了他传统的“致股东们一封信”。在信中,巴菲特一如既往地表达了他对许多问题的独到见解。