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Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. posted a rise in working earnings as larger rates of interest and fewer catastrophes benefited the conglomerate’s insurance coverage enterprise.The agency reported fourth-quarter working earnings of $8.48 billion, versus $6.63 billion for similar interval a yr earlier. The outcomes had been helped by a soar in insurance coverage underwriting earnings and funding revenue amid larger rates of interest and milder climate. The agency’s money pile additionally set a recent document at $167.6 billion, because the billionaire investor continued to confront a shortage of bigger offers.Berkshire’s earnings are at all times carefully watched as a proxy for US financial well being due to the expansive nature of his companies — starting from railroad BNSF, Geico and Dairy Queen. That additionally makes the corporate notably prone to larger rates of interest, which might crimp demand, and Buffett warned in Might final yr that earnings at most of its operations would fall in 2023 as an “incredible period” for the US economic system attracts to an finish.“Our insurance business performed exceptionally well last year, setting records in sales, float and underwriting profits,” Buffett mentioned in his annual shareholder letter, which the corporate launched alongside its earnings on Saturday. “We have much room to grow.”That is the primary time Berkshire reported earnings since Charlie Munger, Berkshire’s vice chairman and Buffett’s long-time investing accomplice died, aged 99, in late November. Buffett devoted a lot of the letter to praising Munger’s function in creating the sprawling agency.Regardless of ramping up Berkshire’s acquisition machine in recent times, the corporate has nonetheless struggled to seek out most of the big-ticket offers that galvanized Buffett’s fame, leaving him with more money than he and his investing deputies might shortly deploy.After hanging again through the pandemic, he’s since snapped up shares in Occidental Petroleum Corp. and struck an $11.6 billion deal to purchase Alleghany Corp. The investor additionally boosted Berkshire’s stake in 5 of Japan’s buying and selling homes final yr after their earnings surged — a transfer that fueled a rally of their inventory. Buffett has additionally continued to lean on share repurchases amid the dearth of interesting alternate options, saying the measures profit shareholders.Together with funding and derivatives, Berkshire posted $37.6 billion of internet earnings for the quarter, wider than the yr prior, helped by larger rates of interest. Berkshire typically recommends that buyers look previous funding features or losses, that are tied to accounting guidelines, saying they are often deceptive.Within the absence of larger offers, Buffett has additionally continued to lean on share repurchases, which he has mentioned profit shareholders. The agency spent $2.2 billion on buybacks within the fourth quarter, bringing the entire for the yr to about $9.2 billion.

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