That’s largely because of a truism: Long-term interest rates that are low push the prices of all productiveinvestments upward, whether these are stocks, apartments, farms, oil wells, whatever. Other factors influence valuations as well, but interest rates will always be important.
80 years ago,on March 11, 1942, when I purchased three shares of Cities Services preferred stock. Their cost was $114.75 and required all of my savings. (The Dow Jones Industrial Average that day closed at 99, a fact that should scream to you:
Never bet against America.)
After my initial plunge, I always kept at least 80% of my net worth in equities. My favored status throughout that period was 100% – and still is. Berkshire’s current 80%-or-so position in businesses is a consequence of my failure to find entire companies or small portions thereof (that is, marketable stocks) which meet our criteria for longterm holding.
Our final path to value creation is to repurchase Berkshire shares… When the price/value equation is right, this path is the easiest and most certain way for us to increase your wealth. (Alongside the accretion of value to continuing shareholders, a couple of other parties gain: Repurchases are modestly beneficial to the seller of the repurchased shares and to society as well.
1.Increase the long-term earning power of Berkshire’s controlled businesses through internal growth orby making acquisitions.
增加公司賺錢的能力或收購公司。
2. Our second choice is to buy non-controlling part-interests in the many good or great businesses that arepublicly traded.
購買好公司的股票。
3. Our final path to value creation is to repurchase Berkshire shares. Through that simple act, we increase yourshare of the many controlled and non-controlled businesses Berkshire owns.
Teaching, like writing, has helped me develop and clarify my own thoughts. Charlie calls this phenomenon the orangutan effect: If you sit down with an orangutan and carefully explain to it one of your cherished ideas, you may leave behind a puzzled primate, but will yourself exit thinking more clearly.
Berkshire, these shareholders would sometimes acknowledge, might be far from the best selection they couldhave made. But they would add that Berkshire would rank high among those with which they would be most comfortable.
And people who are comfortable with their investments will, on average, achieve better results than those who are motivated by ever-changing headlines, chatter and promises.