Berkshire seen failing five-year test for first time
Analysts estimate Buffett's firm failed to increase its net worth more rapidly than the S&P 500 from 2008 to 2013
Add BT as a preferred source[NEW YORK] Warren Buffett has probably missed his target for the first time in 44 years.
Berkshire Hathaway Inc, his US$292 billion company, is poised to report that it failed to increase net worth more rapidly than the Standard & Poor's 500 Index during the past five years, according to analyst estimates. It would be the first time the billionaire investor fell short of the goal since he took over the Omaha, Nebraska-based company in 1965.
Mr Buffett, 83, highlights the comparison as a way for shareholders to evaluate his performance against a low-cost fund that tracks the index. The S&P 500 returned 128 per cent including dividends since the end of 2008, fuelled by the US Federal Reserve's stimulus efforts and higher corporate profits. Berkshire's book value per Class A share, Mr Buffett's yardstick, rose 80 per cent to US$126,766 starting at the same point until Sept 30, 2013, the latest data available.
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