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S&P Spoils The "Hurray America" Party, Puts Berkshire Hathaway On Watch Negative

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Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:31 | Link to Comment deadhead
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can't wb just have moody's do the following:

oh, never mind.....

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:33 | Link to Comment FLETCH
FLETCH's picture

between this and the Fannie credits with Goldman, it looks like Mr. Buffett has to play ball with the banksters... or maybe he's gone over to the dark side?

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:49 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:37 | Link to Comment curbyourrisk
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I dare to Moody's to follow suit.  Grow a set of balls and do what needed to be done in 2006...YOUR JOB!

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:57 | Link to Comment Green Sharts
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Moody's downgraded Berkshire from Aaa to Aa2 in April.  

Not to suggest Moody's isn't a criminal enterprise that should be put out of business like Arthur Andersen was.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:37 | Link to Comment Sonny Drysdale
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RE. Fannie Credits

 

Doesn't the gov't save the taxpayers money if it lets then expire worthless?

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:42 | Link to Comment rhinotrader
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Why bother to read something from the same people who had AIG "AAA"?

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:48 | Link to Comment Fish Gone Bad
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+1

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:49 | Link to Comment Fish Gone Bad
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.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:49 | Link to Comment Pizza Delivery Man
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I bet the rally fails. My sell signals are slapping me in the face and I can't ignore them anymore.

Adding to short positions right here.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:56 | Link to Comment Hondo
Hondo's picture

All this makes perfect sense.  WB has increased the risk profile both credit and liquidity of the insurance company.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:06 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

Yeah, that is something a lot of people forget, Buffett is not a money manager in that he is gambling with investor's money.

He is gambling with policyholder's money.

No way does his insurance company deserve a AAA, with the equity exposure it has.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 19:44 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 13:58 | Link to Comment lizzy36
lizzy36's picture

riddle me this gang, what is going on with the BKX index today (lod) and XLF on LOD (as i write)?

 

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:01 | Link to Comment Green Sharts
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In that brief report, S&P doesn't mention Berkshire's exposure to a long-term decline in global stock markets from 20 year puts it wrote against 4 major stock indices a couple of years ago when markets were near record highs.  Even with the big rally since March I think all of those puts are still well in the money, though they can only be exercised at expiration roughly 18 years from now.  Berkshire also has some exposure via credit default swap contracts it has written.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:24 | Link to Comment jesus_quintana
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I hear the squid has been trying to offload its Berkshire counterparty exposure (octobank well in the money on said trades) at a very attractive discount to certain less sophisticated *cough* Asian *cough* banks for weeks on end now. Don't know if they beat yesterday's deadline, but I'll find out.

Lucky their chinese walls are beyond question, given their role as advisor to BNSF.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:07 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

I guess loading up with too many railroad spaces on the Monopoly board isn't a good idea... leaves too little available money when you draw the wrong catastrophic "Chance" card ...

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:26 | Link to Comment aldousd
aldousd's picture

Don't you see? Obama is abolishing "Chance" cards in favor of 100% Community Chest!

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:37 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

Oh... now I get it... why didn't I see that earlier... well then I want hotels on everything I own since "Chance" card penalties no longer apply... and it is "Community Chest" bailouts all the way around :-)

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:39 | Link to Comment ZerOhead
ZerOhead's picture

Correct MnN... Once again I think his timing is early on this one...

However if the catastrophic "chance card" is $200/bbl oil prices...

http://www.railfanwindow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/bnsf-5005.jpg

This could come in handy...

http://www.bakersfieldqdc.com/bnsfSystemMap.gif

 

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:49 | Link to Comment MinnesotaNice
MinnesotaNice's picture

Great pics...and you are right that is probably Buffett's long term play... betting on catastrophic oil prices.  However, if oil is at extreme prices, then I would think that the rest of the commodities would not decouple with that trend... so I wonder how the demand for 'stuff' that is transported by rail will be at that point?  And in order for peak oil prices to stand out in the overall economy then things like earnings power will have to hold or decrease... only enhancing the need for less 'stuff'.  I am sure Mr. Buffett knows exactly what he is doing however...

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:21 | Link to Comment Slewburger
Slewburger's picture

WTF?

Didn't Buffett just buy BN rail???

Diluted his B shares. 1/200 voting right.

Preferred shares did not split.... got to love it.

Looks good presently, but its about to take a dump along with the rest of the market.

Thu, 11/05/2009 - 02:33 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Thu, 11/05/2009 - 17:45 | Link to Comment Slewburger
Slewburger's picture

Check it:

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/compab.html

I can see why you wanted to remain Anon.

 

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:22 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 17:41 | Link to Comment ghostfaceinvestah
ghostfaceinvestah's picture

see my post on RTs thread - basically they wrote down the value of their liabilities due to the fact that the market views them as a weaker counterparty.  kind of like mark-to-market, except what they marked to market was their weaker counterparty strength.

all smoke and mirrors, but totally legit according to our fradulent accounting rules.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:23 | Link to Comment HedgeRoulette
HedgeRoulette's picture

Can't imagine if BKH didn't see this coming. Is it safe to assume they are among a few that these ratings will have only minimal impact on theirday to day operations? (I mean golfing, hanging out in the club, etc.)

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:39 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 14:44 | Link to Comment CreditcalMass
CreditcalMass's picture

Whoops, looks like Uncle Warren forgot to make his quarterly payment to his friends at the NRSROs.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 15:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 15:09 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

So if Buffet can't make it's insurance payouts. It has a railroad system to take people to death camps with which is better than cash to actually pay?

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 16:10 | Link to Comment Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now's picture

Does anyone think that perhaps Warren has gotten too old and just wanted to have the world's largest train set? Most have a train model set in their basement, he has one in the backyard of America.  If he has a train line that runs from Mexico to Canada in that corridor, he knows NAFTA will give way to the North American Union.  It could be the equivalent of owning the Panama Canal, "a toll bridge troll".  There was a lot of grief about mexican truckers coming into the US with backlash, so the solution is probably to use trains instead with no complaints. 

This might be a NAU border play.

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 16:32 | Link to Comment jdrose1985
jdrose1985's picture

Doesn't anyone else smell another industrial revolution? WB does...I've been smelling one. Lots of stimulus money going to this industry...

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 16:36 | Link to Comment Hephasteus
Hephasteus's picture

So if this cash straps him will we have a pileup on i-95 bailout cause geicko insured most of he cars in the accident?

Wed, 11/04/2009 - 19:00 | Link to Comment Anonymous
Wed, 11/04/2009 - 22:49 | Link to Comment Grand Supercycle
Grand Supercycle's picture

 

Daily charts of key indices are still giving bearish warnings.

Is the bear market rally ending ?

MORE:
http://www.zerohedge.com/forum/market-outlook-0

 

 

 

 

Sun, 03/14/2010 - 16:34 | Link to Comment Anonymous
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