Berkshire A rallies to new record high on big volume

Berkshire Hathaway's Class A shares gained 1.1% in today's trading to close at a new high of $409,250 per share.

It's the third day in a row the stock has ended at a record high.

Volume was more than 3000 shares, the largest it's been since mid-March, and well above a typical day's total. Last year, the average daily volume was below 500 shares.

Berkshire's B shares also closed at a record high, $272.11 per share, but the trading volume was not unusually high today.

Earlier this week, Barron's noted that unusually high trading volume in the stock from mid-February to mid-March had sparked speculation an institutional buyer was building a position, which could be revealed next month in SEC portfolio snapshot filings for the first quarter.

Could it be Berkshire itself?  Unlikely, says Barron's, because buybacks are usually limited to around 25% of average daily trading volume.

Buffett signs letter opposing "discriminatory" voting laws

Warren Buffett is one of hundreds of corporations, executives, law firms, nonprofits, and celebrities signing a public statement opposing "any discriminatory legislation or measures that restrict or prevent any eligible voter from having an equal and fair opportunity to cast a ballot."

It was published Wednesday as a two-page advertisement in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

In keeping with his longstanding practice of separating his personal politics from his company, Buffett signed as an individual, not as chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. (A clip below has Buffett talking in 2019 about how he didn't put his "citizenship in a blind trust" when he took the job, but still believes "you also don't speak on behalf of your company.")

The statement's organizers, former American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault and current Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, tell the Times the statement is meant to be nonpartisan and doesn't target any specific state legislation.

Republicans in Georgia have already passed a new voting law, and several other states, including Texas, Arizona, and Michigan are considering new rules for elections.

More personal politics: Buffett endorses Omaha's Republican mayor

Buffett often supports Democrats, but not always.

This week, he revealed he's backing Republican Jean Stothert's bid to be reelected as Omaha's mayor for a third term.

The Omaha World-Herald reports Buffett contributed $10,000 to her campaign, telling the newspaper, "I think it’s important that Omaha have a terrific mayor. It’s an important job, and we have someone very good in that job."

Stothert told the newspaper she's "thrilled and honored" to have Buffett's support.

She's running against Democrat RJ Neary in next month's election, which is officially nonpartisan.

BUFFETT AROUND THE INTERNET

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARCHIVE

In this Warren Buffett Archive clip from the 2019 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, Buffett talks about how he tries to make clear that when he expresses an opinion on politics he's only talking for himself, not for his company.

BERKSHIRE STOCK WATCH

BERKSHIRE'S TOP U.S. STOCK HOLDINGS - MON XX 2021

Berkshire's top holdings of disclosed publicly-traded U.S. stocks by market value, based on today's closing prices.

Holdings are as of December 31, 2020 as reported in Berkshire Hathaway’s 13F filing on February 16, 2021, except for Apple, Bank of America, and U.S. Bancorp, which also include shares held as of December 31, 2020 as disclosed in New England Asset Management’s 13F filing on February 16, 2021.

In addition to U.S. stocks, shares held as of December 31, 2020 of China's BYD, as listed in Buffett's 2020 letter to shareholders, are included. The price of those shares in U.S. trading is used to approximate the current market value of the position. The value of the stake as a percentage of the company's market value is fixed at what was listed as of December 31, 2020 in the letter.

The full list of holdings and current market values is available from CNBC.com's Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

Please send any questions or comments about the newsletter to me at alex.crippen@nbcuni.com. (Sorry, but we don't forward questions or comments to Buffett himself.)

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-- Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch