There may be merit in much of what you say.

I might not expect this one though:
I think you could see some of the unimportant retail and services business sold.

It does make sense to sell or close those that are losing money and are without a solid prospect of making money soon without additional capital infusions.
But merely low returns can probably be supported indefinitely.

My reasoning is that the units involved are generally so small that the benefit from the financial resources freed up would not be worth as much as the "good will" of keeping them, since that good will is a help when negotiating private acquisitions.

Nobody cares if Berkshire has a small amount of very-low-return capital tied up in something like (say) Pampered Chef, other than the next person who might sell such a business to Berkshire. (I have no idea if Pampered Chef is doing well or not, it's just a for-instance)

Jim

Berkshire Hathaway FAQ

---

Contact Shrewd'm
Contact the developer of these message boards.