A technical glitch cut the price of Berkshire Hathaway's six-figure Class A shares by almost 100% Monday morning, but the NYSE canceled all trades made at "erroneous" bargain prices.

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Buyers during Berkshire price glitch can't keep their big bargains

The New York Stock Exchange says it canceled all "erroneous" trades of Berkshire Hathaway's Class A stock on Monday morning.

 

That's a disappointment for anyone who managed to do some buying before trading was halted due to a technical glitch that briefly cut the stock's price to $185.10, a drop of 99.97% from the previous Friday's close of $627,400.

 

In an update sent to traders Monday afternoon, the NYSE said it "has ruled to bust all erroneous trades ... from 09:50- 9:51 at or below $603,718.30" related to the price issue.

 

The decision is "not eligible for appeal."

 

We don't know how many Berkshire A trades were canceled or the number of shares involved.

A display at the NYSE shows shares of Berkshire Hathaway down 99.97% due to a technical glitch on Jun 3, 2024. Photo: Gillian Austin | CNBC

The Consolidated Tape Association, the consortium responsible for distributing real-time stock quotes for the NYSE and other big exchanges, said a faulty software update generated price errors for 40 stocks, including Berkshire's A shares, from 9:30 am until 10:27 am when it switched to a backup data center that was still running the old software.

 

Berkshire's B shares were not affected.

 

Trading in the stocks that were halted resumed by 11:40 am after the problem was fixed.

 

OXY teams with Berkshire on 'green' lithium extraction

Oil giant Occidental Petroleum will work with Berkshire Hathaway Energy on extracting lithium from geothermal brine.

 

The mineral is needed to make batteries for electric vehicles and power storage that are essential to transitioning to sustainable energy production.

 

Getting it from geothermal brines, a byproduct of geothermal energy production, promises to be less costly and have a smaller environmental footprint than mining it.

 

This week, OXY announced a joint venture with BHE Renewables to "demonstrate the feasibility" of using a method developed by its TerraLithium subsidiary to "produce lithium in an environmentally safe manner."

 

The lithium will be extracted from the brine processed by BHE's 10 geothermal power plants in California's Imperial Valley.

 

If the demonstration is successful, BHE Renewables plans to "build, own and operate commercial lithium production facilities" in the area.

After a string of purchases over the past two years, Berkshire Hathaway is Occidental's biggest shareholder with a 28% stake valued at $14.8 billion.

 

It hasn't added to the holdings since early February, but that could be about to change.

 

After nearly touching $70 in April, OXY's share price closed today at $59.48 amid a decline for energy stocks.

 

As Barron's reminds us, nearly all of Berkshire purchases have been made at $60 or below.

 

NetJets pilots: Berkshire defamation suit is 'attempt to silence us'

The union representing 3,400 pilots at Berkshire Hathaway's NetJets says the company's defamation suit filed this week is "an attempt to silence us."

 

Reuters quotes the president of the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots as saying it "stands by the concerns we have raised about pilot training and the safety and maintenance cultures--concerns that have only increased in intensity in recent months."

 

The news service says NetJets isn't commenting directly on its suit but did say "our focus is on providing the exceptional safety and service our owners expect and disserve."

NetJets pilots picket on May 5, 2023, outside the CHI Health Center ahead of Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholders meeting in Omaha. Photo: David WIlliams | Bloomberg via Getty Images

NetJets accuses the union of trying to damage its reputation with news releases and ads contending the company is putting profits ahead of safety.

 

Longstanding tension between NetJets management and the pilots' union, which included picketing outside Berkshire's annual meeting last year, is continuing even though the two sides agreed earlier this year to a $1.6 billion, five-year collective bargaining pact with a 52.5% compensation increase.

 

BUFFETT AROUND THE INTERNET

Some links may require a subscription

 
 
  • Reuters: Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp utility reaches $178 million wildfire settlement
  • CNBC.com: Jim Cramer: Warren Buffett’s former mystery stock Chubb is still really cheap and going higher
  • Barron's on MSN: Berkshire Hathaway’s Bet on Scripps May Be a Rare Misfire
  • The Times (UK): Howard Buffett, the college dropout with a $1bn humanitarian foundation
  • CNBC Pro (subscription): Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway owns 3% of the entire T-bill market, JPMorgan estimates
  • Architectural Digest: Warren Buffett’s Houses: Inside the Billionaire’s Long-Standing Properties
  • Fortune: Brooks Running’s CEO plans to build a $4 billion brand by expanding into lifestyle products: ‘Innovation is how we justify a $160 price tag’
 
 

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ARCHIVE

 
 

Why Buffett doesn’t give to super PACs (2012)

Warren Buffett explains why he believes “the whole idea of super PACs is wrong.”

 

BERKSHIRE STOCK WATCH

 
 

Four weeks

BRKA vs BRKB vs S&P - 1 month
 

Twelve months

BRKA vs BRKB vs S&P - 1 year
 

BERKSHIRE'S TOP U.S. STOCK HOLDINGS - Jun. 7, 2024

 
 
Berkshire's Top Stock Holdings

Berkshire's top holdings of disclosed publicly traded stocks in the U.S., Japan, and Hong Kong, by market value, based on today's closing prices.

 

Holdings are as of March 31, 2024 as reported in Berkshire Hathaway’s 13F filing on May 15, 2024, except for:

  • Mitsubishi, which is as of June 12, 2023. Tokyo Stock Exchange prices are converted to U.S. dollars from Japanese yen.

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.)

 

If you aren't already subscribed to this newsletter, you can sign up here.

 

Also, Buffett's annual letters to shareholders are highly-recommended reading. There are collected here on Berkshire's website.

 

 

-- Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch

 

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