Warren Buffett Watch: BYD bids Warren Buffett's Berkshire an unfazed farewell: Selling is 'normal'

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Hours after we archetypal reported last week that Berkshire sold disconnected the remainder of its involvement in BYD earlier this year, the Chinese electrical conveyance shaper confirmed the quality and thanked Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger for believing successful the company.

In a station connected the Chinese societal media tract Weibo, BYD nationalist relations executive Li Yunfei wrote, arsenic translated by Google:

"In August 2022, Berkshire began gradually reducing its holdings of institution shares purchased successful 2008, and by past June, its involvement had fallen beneath 5%...Investing successful stocks involves some buying and selling, which is wholly normal...We are grateful for Charlie Munger's and Warren Buffett's designation of BYD, arsenic good arsenic for the investment, support, and companionship implicit the past 17 years...Praise to each semipermanent believers!"

BYD Executive Vice President Stella Li, appearing connected CNBC Europe's Access Middle East this week, echoed the Weibo post, saying Buffett and Munger "loved" BYD and its management, but "they are investors, truthful people buying and selling is their business, truthful it's not due to the fact that they don't similar us."

And Reuters quotes a peculiar advisor to BYD, Alfredo Altavilla, arsenic saying that Buffett "made a nett of 20 times the superior helium invested. He did precise good to bash what helium did."

"We've been highly gladsome to person had Buffett (as an investor), but the information that helium monetised [UK spelling] his presumption is precisely what Berkshire Hathaway does for a living: buying, earning and selling."

Investors astir the world, however, were not arsenic accepting.

BYD shares fell much than 6% this week successful Hong Kong.

While Berkshire is closing retired its Chinese investment, it continues to grow its holdings of Japanese "trading house" stocks.

This week, Mitsui said successful a news release that it was "informed" by Berkshire that "they present clasp 10% oregon much of the voting rights successful Mitsui arsenic a effect of an further acquisition of our shares."

It did not, however, cognize the nonstop fig of shares Berkshire present owns.

In a March 17 disclosure, Berkshire reporting holding a 9.8% involvement of 285,401,400 Mitsui shares. They would beryllium valued astatine astir $7.3 cardinal astatine today's close.

Late past month, a Mitsui official told Reuters Berkshire raised its involvement but declined to springiness a percentage. 

At the aforesaid time, Mitsubishi said successful a regulatory filing that Berkshire's involvement had accrued to 10.2% from 9.7%.

We haven't heard thing astir Berkshire's 3 different Japanese holdings, Itochu, Marubeni, and Sumitomo, but it would not beryllium a astonishment to larn those stakes person besides gone supra 10%.

Berkshire's apical holdings of disclosed publically traded stocks successful the U.S. and Japan, by marketplace value, based connected today's closing prices.

Holdings are arsenic of June 30, 2025 arsenic reported in Berkshire Hathaway's 13F filing on August 14, 2025, but for:

• Itochu, which is arsenic of March 17, 2025, and Mitsubishi, which is arsenic of August 28, 2025. Tokyo Stock Exchange prices are converted to U.S. dollars from Japanese yen.

The afloat database of holdings and existent marketplace values is disposable from CNBC.com's Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker.

Please nonstop immoderate questions oregon comments astir the newsletter to maine at alex.crippen@nbcuni.com. (Sorry, but we don't guardant questions oregon comments to Buffett himself.)

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Also, Buffett's yearly letters to shareholders are highly recommended reading. There are collected here connected Berkshire's website.

-- Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch