Buffett Bets on Recovery, Buys Burlington for $26B

Growth in US economy will boost electricity demand

(NEWSER) - Berkshire Hathaway’s acquisition of railroad operator Burlington North Santa Fe is really a "huge bet" by Warren Buffett on the coal industry, writes Steve Gelsi . Burlington hauls more coal than anything else, and the material accounted for a quarter of its third-quarter revenue. Buffett already is heavily invested in coal—"of the largest 15 US electricity generators, Berkshire Hathaway holds the portfolio with the largest carbon footprint." More»

(AP) - Warren Buffett said today the US government is taking the correct actions to help the economy recover. "The government is doing the right things," Buffett said before the opening of Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting. "They're acting in a countercyclical manner." But he said he can't predict how quickly the economy and the markets will improve. More»

Oracle confident as he prepares to be buffeted by shareholders

(NEWSER) - The Oracle of Omaha still sees tough times ahead for the US economy, but he says he thinks the worst is in the past, CNCBC reports. “We’re at a war now to some degree, but Pearl Harbor was September,” Warren Buffett says. “There was a strike at the heart of the American system, the financial system. And we got past that.” But “the war isn’t over,” particularly for Buffett, who will face antsy shareholders tomorrow. More»

Billionaire investor sees recovery on far horizon, warns of inflation

(NEWSER) - Warren Buffett said today the US economy has “fallen off a cliff,” but guaranteed that 5 years from now “the machine will be running fine.” On CNBC, Buffett encouraged banks to “get back to banking,” saying they will have to earn their way out of the crisis. Also key, the billionaire investor said, was bipartisan support of federal efforts aimed at restoring confidence. More»

Berkshire Hathaway takes biggest dive in decades

(NEWSER) - The "Oracle of Omaha" is proving even he's not immune from market blows, reports Bloomberg. Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway took a 12% nosedive yesterday, its biggest one-day fall since 1987's Black Monday. The conglomerate is down 41% for the year and has been dropping steadily for eight days after announcing a 77% drop in third-quarter profits. More»