Syz the moment

Berkshire Hathaway Q4 2023 highlights: • Berkshire Hathaway posted operating earnings — which refers to profits from businesses across insurance, railroads and utilities — of $8.481 billion in the fourth quarter, up 28% yoy • Net earnings of $37.6 billion • $2.2 billion of stock buybacks The cash pile grows to $163.3 billion in the fourth quarter, a record level that surpasses the $157.2 billion the conglomerate held in the prior quarter. 👀 Importantly, Warren Buffett has warned Berkshire Hathaway shareholders that his sprawling $905bn conglomerate has virtually “no possibility of eye-popping performance” in the years ahead, laying bare the challenges that will confront his successors. The so-called Oracle of Omaha said in his annual letter on Saturday there were very few deals that offer the kind of transformative impact past takeovers have had, such as its purchases of insurers Geico and National Indemnity or the BNSF railroad. “There remain only a handful of companies in this country capable of truly moving the needle at Berkshire, and they have been endlessly picked over by us and by others,” he said. “Outside the US, there are essentially no candidates that are meaningful options for capital deployment at Berkshire.” Berkshire Class A shares have rallied roughly 16% this year. Source: CNBC, Kevin Carpenter, FT

China's Wildlife Conservation Association is working with the National Zoo in Washington in an arrangement that could bring more pandas back to the United States, signalling improving diplomatic relations between the two superpowers. China has lent its beloved bears to zoos in various countries over the years as goodwill animal ambassadors and also fostered a modern Sino-U.S. "panda diplomacy" with the gesture.Back in November, the National Zoo in Washington returned three pandas to China as part of a more than 50-year-old legacy, leaving Georgia's Zoo Atlanta as the only one in the U.S. with a giant panda program. Source : reuters

𝗛𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆: 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲' 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝟱𝟬% 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝗲 Apple isn't half of Berkshire Hathaway. Why? Because the pie is much bigger ! 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝟲𝟱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗺𝘀 (swipe right for full list) in its treasure chest along with interest bearing cash and fixed income, Berkshire Hathaway's empire stretches far beyond the realms of just the listed stock market.

Source : Bloomberg

Source: Markets & Mayhem

Source: Compounding Quality

Monthly exports increased 3.1% to 1.9 billion Swiss francs ($2.2 billion) by value, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said Tuesday. Growth was as high as 11.8% in the first half of last year. The number of timepieces exported rose 2.9% to 1.2 million as shipments of the Swatch brand’s Blancpain and Omega collaborations drove demand at the low end. The number of exported watches priced above 3,000 francs fell 4.5% in January, even as their value rose 4.3%, the Federation said in a statement. At the same time, the number of watches exported with a wholesale price of less than 200 francs surged 5.5% driven by the Swatch Group AG’s namesake brand. Exports to the US, the biggest market for Swiss timepieces, rose by a modest 2.2% by value. Mainland China exports gained 5% while shipments to Hong Kong fell 4.7%. Exports of watches hit a record 26.7 billion Swiss francs by value in 2023, but the rate of sales growth slumped to just 3.6% in the second half of the year as consumers pulled back. source : swissinfo

At the start of 2024, Apple was found to be the world’s most valuable brand, with a value of $517 billion—a 73.6% increase over the previous year. China may have 20 brands in the top 100, but South Korea’s Samsung trumps it for second place outside of the U.S. with a value of $99 billion. Overall, Asian brands have attained significant value in recent years. China’s TikTok (along with its domestic counterpart, Douyin) is well known all around the world and had a value of $84 billion, while Japan’s Toyota and Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Aramco had brand values of $53 billion and $42 billion respectively. Europe’s most valuable brand is Germany’s Deutsche Telekom at $73 billion, while French luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton had a value of $32 billion. source : visualcapitalist