Tuesday, November 3, 2009

MarketBeat on Berkshire Hathaway/Burlington Northern Santa Fe

Either they have a nose for news or they're bored. I'm betting the former.
From MarketBeat:

Warren Buffett’s Biggest. Deal. Ever.

...In a brief chat with CNBC this morning, Buffett described how the deal came together fairly quickly after meeting recently with Burlington Northern chief executive Matt Rose. “I made him an offer and he said it would take it to his board and it took about fifteen minutes,” Buffett told CNBC....
Berkshire Vs. the Fed
...Along with last week’s 3.5% 3Q GDP reading, Buffett’s rhetoric fuels the perception that the recovery is building steam, and the Fed doesn’t want to be left at the station clinging to its extremely accommodative policy when the economic growth train pulls away....
Warren Buffett: Buying Near the Bottom … Again

Association of American Railroads

...And from looking at the rail data, it appears that Buffett didn’t try to “catch a falling knife,” rather he waited until there were a signs of improvement before pulling the trigger....MORE
Buffett Buy of BNSF Jolts Transports out of Malaise
The Dow Jones Transportation index shot higher, as railroad stocks surged on the news that Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is buying the Burlington Northern Santa Fe. Transport railroad stocks Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern and CSX are all the biggest contributors to the breakout in the the 20-stock measure higher — besides BNSF, of course, which is up 28%, after the deal news....MORE
Warren Buffett’s Railroad Deal Isn’t a Short-Term Bet

Warren Buffett BNSF: Behind the Split in Baby Berkshires

When I came to the markets some of the old-timers still called the DJTA "the rails".
Along those lines, we use a modified index that strips out the airlines to get a handle on freight traffic by truck and rail.