Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett. AP
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett. AP

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway tops $1 trillion in market value



Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway briefly topped $1 trillion in market value for the first time on Wednesday, becoming the first non-tech US company to do so.

Shares in the Nebraska-based company rose more than 1 per cent during morning trading to cross the threshold. Berkshire Hathaway's shares have grown 28.49 per cent so far this year, outpacing the S&P 500's yearly gains.

Mr Buffett's conglomerate joined a small list of companies to have reached a market value of $1 trillion. The others include Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta.

Berkshire Hathaway held a market capitalisation of $1.004 trillion at 7.30pm UAE time before dipping to $993.89 billion by the time trading closed in the US.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based company's cash pile rose to $276.9 billion in the second quarter of this year, it said in its earnings report in August. The jump came as Mr Buffett sold nearly half of the company's stake in Apple.

Earlier on Wednesday, he sold another $982 million of Bank of America stock. Berkshire has sold about $5.4 billion of the US bank's shares since mid-July, although it is still the company's largest shareholder.

The transactions occurred on August 23, 26 and 27, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr Buffett has remained quiet on his reasons for the moves.

He, along with the late vice chairman Charlie Munger, turned the former textile maker into a conglomerate starting in 1965.

In his annual letter to shareholders this year, Mr Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway should perform “a bit better than the average American corporation”.

“And, more important, should also operate with materially less risk of permanent loss of capital. Anything beyond 'slightly better,' though, is wishful thinking,” he wrote.

Mr Buffett paid tribute to Mr Munger, who died in November at the age of 99. He credited his business partner with being the “architect” of the present company.

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  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home. 

England Test squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

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  • Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
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Based: Bangalore, India

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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Blah

Started: 2018

Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri

Based: Dubai

Industry: Technology and talent management

Initial investment: Dh20,000

Investors: Self-funded

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Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Updated: August 29, 2024, 6:46 AM