[AJ007]

What I've noticed is Berkshire Hathaway public stock investments tend to fit two criteria -

First, does it pay a dividend? Yep, IBM does.

Second, is it integrated into the overall economy? I think of it as if imagining what would happen if the company just up and vanished over night. So railroads, power companies, this would result in a lot of other companies would have big problems.

Then of course there are all the other details like the companies finances, executives, and so on that you hear about over and over again in any literature about Berkshire Hathaway.

Consumer oriented companies dominate the news and books because all the inner workings are like a soap opera to the public. But, you can learn just as much from all of these other companies. Most certainly it hones your research skills since the details aren't being delivered to you on a silver platter.

[hello_moto]

I think you're right. My perspective of IBM is from what I read in IT related magazines/articles while investors's (Berkshire in this case) view it from a different angle that makes more sense for them.

Mine probably too detail and too narrow and may not paint IBM as a whole.

[away]

Has Warren Buffett made any mistakes in his big investmests thus far?

[AJ007]

"Berkshire Hathaway" itself, the original company, was a textile manufacturer. Warren Buffet said this was a terrible business because what would be profit margins would just have to be re-invested in the company to upgrade the production capacity to keep up with competitors.

Solomon Brothers also comes to mind as one referred to by Warren as a "mistake."