Berkshire Hathaway on Saturday reported a jump in earnings in the second quarter of 2023, recovering from large investment losses a year ago, when the bear market flummoxed even the most successful investors like Berkshire Chairman Warren Buffett.
Operating earnings totaled $10 billion in the second quarter, a 6.6% gain from the same period last year. Insurance underwriting and higher investment income helped boost Berkshire’s operating profits.
The company posted net income of $35.9 billion after a loss of $43.6 billion in the second quarter of 2022. Berkshire posed $25.9 billion in investment gains last quarter, marking a significant turnaround from a year earlier, when its investments lost $53 billion in the second quarter alone.
Berkshire’s insurance underwriting business crossed the billion-dollar threshold, with earnings of $1.25 billion, up from $715 million in the second quarter of 2022. Insurance investment income increased to $2.3 billion from $1.9 billion this time last year.
Berkshire-owned Geico, one of the largest insurance companies in the United States, is faring better than it did last year, posting an underwriting profit of $514 million in this year’s second quarter. This is a modest decrease from $703 million in the first quarter but a sharp gain from last year’s second-quarter loss of $487 million.
Comparatively, the insurance company has had a pretax underwriting profit of about $1.2 billion so far this year, helping to buoy Berkshire
(BRKA)’s earnings. Berkshire
(BRKA) attributed these insurance earnings to higher average auto policy premiums, a decline in advertising costs, as well as reductions in claims estimates.
However, Berkshire’s energy and freight railroad companies, BHE and BNSF, had a decrease in earnings compared to the same period last year.
Berkshire ended the quarter with a near record-high $147.4 billion in cash and cash equivalents, compared with $130.6 billion in the first quarter and $105.4 billion for the year-earlier period.
Berkshire’s stock repurchases totaled $1.4 billion, compared with $4.4 billion in the first quarter.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 100 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in base metal and utility stocks, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 103.40 points at 24,542.48.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 192.31 points at 42,932.73. The S&P 500 index was up 7.14 points at 5,822.40, while the Nasdaq composite was down 9.03 points at 18,306.56.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.44 cents US on Tuesday.
The November crude oil contract was down 71 cents at US$69.87 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down eight cents at US$2.42 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$7.20 at US$2,686.10 an ounce and the December copper contract was up a penny at US$4.35 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 200 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets were also headed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 205.86 points at 24,508.12.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 336.62 points at 42,790.74. The S&P 500 index was up 34.19 points at 5,814.24, while the Nasdaq composite was up 60.27 points at 18.342.32.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.61 cents US compared with 72.71 cents US on Thursday.
The November crude oil contract was down 15 cents at US$75.70 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was down two cents at US$2.65 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was down US$29.60 at US$2,668.90 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents at US$4.47 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 11, 2024.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was little changed in late-morning trading as the financial sector fell, but energy and base metal stocks moved higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 0.05 of a point at 24,224.95.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 94.31 points at 42,417.69. The S&P 500 index was down 10.91 points at 5,781.13, while the Nasdaq composite was down 29.59 points at 18,262.03.
The Canadian dollar traded for 72.71 cents US compared with 73.05 cents US on Wednesday.
The November crude oil contract was up US$1.69 at US$74.93 per barrel and the November natural gas contract was up a penny at US$2.67 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$14.70 at US$2,640.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up two cents at US$4.42 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
