Stocks A to Z / Stocks B / Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A)
No. of Recommendations: 26
After reading "Poor Charlie's Almanack" and then binge-reading the Buffet's annual report letters from the earliest to the latest, I picked up "fondness" WB express for the Japanese companies which Berkshire was investing in (as well as his sorrow over the limits imposed on on the the amount he was buying.
On April 7, 2025 I sold my Berkshire Hathaway "B" shares and split the proceeds evenly between the five Japanese stocks owned by BRK (purchased in Japanese yen through IB)
Berkshire Hathaway B shares have appreciated about 7.9% since April 7, 2025.
On April 7, 2025, the closing price was approximately 457.20 USD, and today (January 16, 2026) the price is 493.51 USD
The performance of the Japanese shares varied:
Ticker---->>-->Company-->-->Purchase Price-->Current Price-->Appreciation
8001:tyo-->Itochu Corp-->-->¥1,675-->-->-->-->¥2,116-->-->-->26.33%
8002:tyo-->Marubeni Corp--->¥2,680-->-->-->-->¥5,199-->-->-->93.98%
8031:tyo-->Mitsui-->-->---->¥2,859-->-->-->-->¥5,156-->-->-->80.32%
8053:tyo-->Sumitomo-->-->-->¥3,601-->-->-->-->¥6,288-->-->-->74.61%
8058:tyo-->Mitsubishi-->--->¥3,370-->-->-->-->¥4,055-->-->-->20.34%
I'm not sure which of the pundits at BRK was responsible for these choices (Buffet, Munger or other), but the performance of the worst of them, over the last three quarters, was nearly triple that of Berkshire's stock (assuming A and B roughly advanced in parallel). Now, I didn't cherry pick which stock to buy - I bought the whole basket, basically the idea that the Japanese economy (which these companies act as an ETF of) would grow faster than BRK (or the S&P for that matter).
Just thought it was an interesting take on using some of the best stock pickers in the world to point the way.
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 3
I tried to do similar, although I was looking at smaller Japanese companies, only to be disappointed with the lack of access to foreign stock markets through Vanguard. I settled on EWJV, a Japanese value ETF that trades on a US exchange. I’m still debating opening an IB account.
No. of Recommendations: 5
First of all, I hate IB. That said, they are pretty much the only game in town to buy a large variety of "native" foreign shares that I'm aware off (Fidelity will do it, but charges an arm and a leg. Vanguard will buy "F" and "Y" shares of those stocks that offer them, but levy an additional cost and, frankly, many of those shares are thinly traded, so pricing can be an issue).
I own shares in stocks of a number of countries. Other longer-term Japanese holdings include Softbank (been "lucky" with tech for aa long time), Seven & I (7-Eleven), Fanuc and Omron and more recently Fast Retail (known for their Uniqlo line).
Jeff
No. of Recommendations: 2
$50/trade @ Fidelity. Only a couple of fingers.
Thank you for sharing, Jeff. Working out well so far.
fd
No. of Recommendations: 1
Re: Vanguard will buy "F" and "Y" shares of those stocks that offer them, ...:
Vanguard prevents the purchase of the American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) of many companies. For just one example, last time I checked, the ADR AMKBY, of the shipping company Maersk.
No. of Recommendations: 4
Japan is ground zero for TODAY’S financial stress. Its bond market is cracking, with long-term yields today hitting their highest levels this millennium. This week, the story is Japan. Not that US media would focus on that issue...
If you think the U.S. has a debt problem, consider this: Japan’s debt-to-GDP ratio is more than double ours. Government debt isn’t a problem until suddenly it is. That moment may be arriving. Like ...as we speak.
