The Berkshire Archive

1979

Index Book About

Berkshire Hathaway · Year by year

1979

Annual percentage change
Measure 1979
Per-share book value of Berkshire 35.7
Market value of Berkshire 102.5
S&P 500 with dividends included 18.2
Where 1979’s change in book value came from
Where the change came from — points of per-share book value

Assets

  • Cash8.3
  • Fixed income46.7
  • Common stocks103.6
  • Financial products21.5
  • Other net assets23.6

Funded by

  • Net worth100.0
  • Debt13.9
  • Insurance float59.7
  • Deferred tax float13.1
  • Other float17.0
What the company was made of — percent of net worth. Every dollar of net worth carried $2.04 of assets.

Note: figures in parentheses are losses. Source: Berkshire Hathaway annual reports.

What happened

The 1979 letter

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