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BNSF Carloads Make Up Ground after Weak Spring

(BRK.A), (BRK.B)

BNSF Railway’s carloads for 2019 have made up some ground from earlier in the year, but continue to lag 2018. The decline is due in part to decreases in coal and grain shipments.

Coal shipments as of the week ending September 7, 2019, are down 5.2% over the same period last year, and combined intermodal and carloads numbers are down 3.90% in the aggregate.

Also, showing weaker numbers are grain shipments, which are down 10.53%, and shipments of motor vehicles are down 4.9%.

2018 was a strong year for BNSF, with the combined carloads including intermodal up 4.03% over 2017, however 2019’s numbers have been hurt by weak global demand for coal and severe flooding in the Midwest during the spring that closed some routes and slowed others.

© 2019 David Mazor

Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell the stock. The information contained in this article should not be construed as personalized or individualized investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.