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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: rrr12345 ⎊  😊 😞
Number: of 22354 
Subject: Re: BRK Expected Returns
Date: 03/02/25 4:58 PM
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"What do fellow Shrewds expect BRK returns to be over the next 5 years?"

I think that your estimate of IV growth is about right, about 9%-10% per year, nominal (Unfortunately not 16% as in 2024). I also agree that there will be some multiple contraction, maybe from today's P/B of 1.72 to 1.55, which looks to be Buffett's highest repurchase price. This multiple contraction would knock 2%/yr off the total return. So I would go with a total return of about 8%/yr, nominal.

However, I think that there is a high probability of a major correction in the broad US market (I've been saying this for years, so make of it what you will.) The trailing twelve month P/E of the S&P 500 today is about 28, versus a fair value of 17 or 18, so a 35% correction is not unlikely. If the broad market falls 35%, then BRK.B will fall with it, maybe by 25%. A 25% fall in one year of the coming five years, with 10% gains in the other four years, would bring Berkshire's 5-year annualized return down to 2%, in spite of the IV growth. Berkshire would need some years with high price gains to make up for its undeserved correction. Over 10-15 years this would be likely, but over five, not so much.

Just FWIW.
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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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