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The week's question
In March 2025, in the thread "Re: OT, out", Umm asked the members: "Do you think it is because America is made up of magical soil that makes businesses based in America magically profitable?" This week it is put to everyone again. The button below opens the small thread re-asking it - read what others have said so far, then give your own answer as an ordinary reply.
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Stocks A to Z / Stocks B / Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
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Author: mungofitch ✹✺ SILVER
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Number: of 22354 
Subject: Re: OT: S&P versus T-Bills?
Date: 07/08/24 9:12 PM
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Over the next 5 years will the S&P 500 with an earnings yield of 3.5% outperform 3-month T-Bills with a yield-to-maturity of 5.4%? How about BRK-B? Thanks for your input.

I think the first problem you'll have with the comparison is that 3-month T bill rates are extremely unlikely to stay as high as they are. They're noticeably higher than inflation at the moment, which is a relatively rare thing. For the time being, I like T-bills, and I have a lot. But I think that preference will change.

I expect Berkshire to do better than the S&P, but then I'm predictable. This is the Berkshire board.
But part of that advantage is that I expect the performance of Berkshire to be very much more predictable. The range out possible outcomes is quite a bit narrower. I think we will probably see inflation plus 7-8% for a few more years as a trend of value generation, but in any case I think one can count on inflation plus 6-7%. Perhaps minus a small one time flat spot--maybe 6%?--as valuations are currently a hair above the average of the last 15 years.

As for what to expect from the S&P 500, that's a very tough game to play. Mainly because it seems that valuations can do anything. It's not so hard to imagine what the value generation will be for S&P 500 firms, but without any confidence at all that the valuation multiples will be within plus or minus 15% of some sort of normal, the actual market return figure is unknowable. But for a starting line of thought on what makes sense as a central expectation, I think this is an excellent line of thinking by Baybrooke
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This community has written 21,861 posts about Berkshire Hathaway. The article-length ones it recommended most:
BRK: Why Not XOM? · 62 recs · 2024
Second quarter comments · 60 recs · 2023
Berkshire's Profit Contributors · 58 recs · 2023
Summary of 2Q 2026 · 55 recs · 2026
3Q Summary · 53 recs · 2024
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