The Berkshire Archive

1987

Index Book About

Berkshire Hathaway · Year by year

1987

Annual percentage change
Measure 1987
Per-share book value of Berkshire 19.5
Market value of Berkshire 4.6
S&P 500 with dividends included 5.1
Where 1987’s change in book value came from
Where the change came from — points of per-share book value

Assets

  • Cash5.4
  • Fixed income67.2
  • Common stocks80.6
  • Financial products2.5
  • Other net assets18.2

Funded by

  • Net worth100.0
  • Debt4.6
  • Insurance float52.2
  • Deferred tax float15.9
  • Other float1.1
What the company was made of — percent of net worth. Every dollar of net worth carried $1.74 of assets.

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

What happened

The 1987 letter

About the archive · An Explorist Production