Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has announced that David Harries has joined the company as Executive Underwriter, Executive and Professional Lines, UK.
“David will play a key role as we continue to expand our Executive and Professional Lines portfolio, and we are pleased to welcome him to our team,” said Vanessa Maxwell, Head of E&P, UK. “His great depth and breadth of underwriting and leadership experience further elevates our ability to problem-solve with customers and deliver highly customized solutions, backed by unparalleled financial strength and claims service.”
David has more than three decades of experience in both Lloyd’s and company markets in the UK. He was most recently Active Underwriter DCH386 and Head of Financial Lines at QBE Insurance. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Queen Mary University of London.
David is based in BHSI’s office in London.
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 a 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.
Investors are often searching for great companies at bargain prices, but Warren Buffett cautions against passing up great companies just because the price is slightly higher than what you think is the ideal price.
“Generally speaking, I think if you’re sure enough about a business being wonderful, it’s more important to be certain about the business being a wonderful business than it is to be certain that the price is not ten percent too high or five percent too high, or something of the sort,” Warren Buffett said at the 1997 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. “And that’s a philosophy that I came slowly to. I originally was incredibly price conscious. We used to have prayer meetings before we would raise our bid an eighth, you know, around the office. But that was a mistake. And in some cases, a huge mistake. I mean, we’ve missed things because of that.”
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.
Berkshire Hathaway-backed BYD sold 67,630 passenger vehicles in August, up 90.5% year-over-year and 18.7% month-over-month.
New energy vehicles (NEVs) contributed 60,508 units representing an increase of 331.9% year-over-year. Four consecutive months of booming sales and a series of monthly sales records underscore BYD’s successful strategic deployment and the widespread acceptance of its products in the market.
After hitting the 50,000-unit mark, BYD’s monthly new-energy passenger vehicle sales continue to grow, positioning BYD as a dominant player in terms of market share. The continued contribution of DM-i sales fueled further success for the DM model, which saw 30,126 units sold in August, up 555.6% year-over-year. Battery-electric vehicle (BEV) sales rose steadily to 30,382 units in the month, up 222.7% year-over-year.
According to the data of EV Sales, in July 2021, BYD returned to the top of the global NEV sales in a single month after 26 months, surpassing Volkswagen to claim third place in terms of cumulative sales from January to July.
BYD Han, the flagship model of the Dynasty series, sold 9,035 units in August.
BYD views safety as the biggest luxury of electric vehicles. This has allowed the BYD Han to increase safety performance to the highest level in the segment while allowing for optimal performance at the same time. In late July, BYD officially launched the DiLink 4.0 (5G) and the 5G Dynaudio Smart Music Cockpit upgrade package, which was developed for the Han EV all-wheel-drive high-performance flagship model, at the 2021 Chengdu Auto Show, bringing users more intelligent and efficient connectivity experiences.
The Qin PLUS DM-i set another sales record, as it sold 13,043 units in August, becoming the leader among DM models. With the powerful duo Qin PLUS DM-i and Qin PLUS EV, the Qin PLUS sold 20,676 units in August.
BYD and Berkshire Hathaway
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares for $232 million. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $232 million has grown in value to $5.897 billion as of December 31, 2020.
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway and BYD, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell a 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.
Berkshire Hathaway-backed BYD has unveiled two battery-electric heavy-duty trucks, the Gen3 8TT and 6F, vehicles that combine performance, reliability, and driver comfort into stylish designs.
Unveiled at the ACT Expo in Long Beach, Calif., the Gen 3 8TT and 6F feature cabs styled by Wolfgang Josef Egger, the renowned former Audi chief designer. The stylish cabs offer improved aerodynamics and energy efficiency.
The trucks come standard with Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), making driving easier and safer.
The trucks are equipped with an Electronic Parking Brake system, offer keyless entry and push to start functions, and have up to 185kW CCS1 charging capability. The extended range version of the 8TT and 6F offer a range of up to 200 miles on a charge.
Gen 3 8TT is a versatile vehicle, capable of performing drayage, regional haul, and distribution work. The 6F can perform regional haul and distribution work. It can also be equipped with a body for refuse collection.
“We listen to our customers and their drivers to ensure we provide the features and performance they need to get a job done,” said Stella Li, President of BYD North America. “With our next generation 6F and 8TT, we’re making history by setting a new standard for driver comfort and safety in an electric vehicle.”
BYD Electric Trucks operate clean and quiet, and have significantly fewer moving parts than carbon-burning trucks. With less noise and vibration than conventional vehicles, BYD trucks provide the operator with an improved driving experience and safer work environment.
BYD, the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, is the leader in battery-electric truck deployments with more than 8,000 trucks in service around the world and over 200 in service across the United States.
BYD and Berkshire Hathaway
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares for $232 million. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $232 million had grown in value to $5.897 billion as of December 31, 2020.
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway and BYD, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell a 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.
Excessive speculation, it’s the downfall of investors and markets time and time again, but as Warren Buffett notes, it often begins benignly when early investors see a previously unrecognized opportunity. However, as word of the opportunity starts to spread, it soon loses all relationship to underlying fundamentals and becomes nothing but sheer speculation and is doomed to end badly.
“It’s that old story of what the wise man does in the beginning, the fool does in the end,” Warren Buffett noted at the 2006 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. “And with any asset class that has a big move, that’s based initially on fundamentals, is going to attract speculative participation at some point, and that speculative participation can become dominant as time goes by. And, you know, famous case always being tulip bulbs, I mean, tulips may have been more attractive than dandelions or something, so people paid a little more money for them. But once a price history develops that causes people to start looking at an asset that they never looked at before and to get envious of the fact that their neighbor made a lot of money without any apparent effort because he saw this early and so on, that takes over.”
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.
Berkshire Hathaway’s HomeServices of America, Inc. has acquired of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hudson Valley Properties, the leading real estate company in the Mid-Hudson Valley market for 29 consecutive years.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Founded in 1980 by Steven Domber and headquartered in LaGrangeville, New York, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hudson Valley Properties serves the counties of Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Columbia, Putnam and Westchester with more than 400 agents in 13 offices.
For the 12 months ending in June 2021, Hudson Valley Properties closed nearly 4,300 units representing $1.53 billion of sales volume, earning more than a 24% market share.
The company originally joined the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices network as an independent franchisee in 2014, and with this transaction, joins the HomeServices of America family of wholly owned companies.
Hudson Valley Properties ranks #303 among top 350 real estate brokerages in the United States and is a member of the prestigious Berkshire Elite Circle, ranking #31 in the top 50 brokers of the network worldwide. Domber, founder and president of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Hudson Valley Properties, is active in the real estate industry on both the state and national levels. He will continue in his current role as president running the day-to-day operations along with his sales management and leadership team.
HomeServices of America has earned the ranking of the largest real estate company based on closed transactions since 2019.
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 a 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.
BYD’s China headquarters has officially launched its “Zero Carbon Industrial Campus” in Pingshan, which will become the first zero-carbon headquarters of Chinese automobile brands.
Founded in September 2006, BYD Pingshan Industrial Campus covers an approximate area of 7.6 million square feet, employing approximately 50,000 people.
The Pingshan Industrial Campus brings all of BYD’s green solutions such as photovoltaics, energy storage, new energy vehicles, the SkyRail monorail, and SkyShuttle to all aspects of production and life in the campus.
For example, BYD has built an intelligent green multi-level rail transit system, new energy vehicles, energy storage systems, and new energy vehicle charging stations on the campus. BYD has now expanded its emission reduction efforts to the daily production and operation of the company. BYD strives to create a green ecological environment for the entire campus through its internal green recycling system.
One of BYD’s representatives stated that “Pingshan’s first ‘Zero Carbon Industrial Campus’ project will become an important case study with rich experience accumulated, paving the way for BYD’s company-wide carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality.”
In the construction of the “Zero Carbon Industrial Campus,” BYD has strengthened its carbon emission reduction actions concerning the energy structure, industrial structure, transportation, procurement, production, and operation of the campus. Concurrently, based on environmental technologies, BYD can achieve energy conservation and emission reduction products and solutions.
Promoting carbon emission reduction and achieve carbon neutrality requires an accurate understanding of where carbon emission comes from, knowing how to compile emission data, applying green energy more efficiently, and devising efficient industry strategies. To this end, BYD has invited SGS, the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification company, to provide consulting, certification, and technical support for the project.
BYD and Berkshire Hathaway
In 2008, Berkshire Hathaway bet on BYD’s potential, purchasing 225 million shares. It’s an investment that has paid off handsomely. Berkshire’s original investment of $230 million has grown in value over thirty-fold.
Disclosure: David Mazor is a freelance writer focusing on Berkshire Hathaway. The author is long in Berkshire Hathaway and BYD, and this article is not a recommendation on whether to buy or sell a 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.
Despite all the boom and bust cycles of the past, Warren Buffett notes that when it comes to people learning from the past, there is one very important lesson that can benefit investors.
“What we learn from history is that people don’t learn from history,” Warren Buffett said at the 2004 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting. “And you certainly see that in financial markets all the time.”
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.
Berkshire Hathaway’s The Lubrizol Corporation has signed an investment intention agreement with Songjiang District People’s government, which outlined Lubrizol’s commitment to increasing investment, including setting up an R&D center and further enhancing its capabilities to drive continuous growth in China market.
On July 28, the Shanghai municipal government held a group signing ceremony for foreign investment projects in Shanghai. Lubrizol was invited to participate and signed the investment intention agreement.
As part of its commitment, Lubrizol will invest in the construction of a new “Lubrizol lubricant additive R&D center” in Songjiang, Shanghai. As an important part of Lubrizol’s global R&D network, the Shanghai R&D center will be responsible for research, design and testing of additive solutions for the Chinese transportation market, including fuel vehicles, hybrid vehicles and new energy vehicles, providing customers with reliable solutions that help the world Move Cleaner by extending product life, reducing emissions and reducing environmental impact.
Dong Jian-Wei, vice president of Lubrizol Additives in Asia Pacific, who attended the signing ceremony, said, “China continues to be an important growth region for the transportation industry, and we look forward to advancing this growth through a local R&D and innovation center to support local needs.”
He added: “Under the guidance of China’s ‘2030.2060’ dual carbon goal, many industries, including the automotive industry, are facing increasing demands for more sustainable solutions. We believe that this R&D center close to the local market will strategically improve our core technical capabilities locally, accelerate the implementation of the overall R&D strategy and objectives of the business, and support our customers.”
Since entering the Chinese market, Lubrizol has established production bases, R&D and technical service centers in Zhuhai, Guangdong and Songjiang, Shanghai to provide customers with valuable technical solutions and promote the rapid development of the company’s business in China.
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 a 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.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance has added Constanza Gállegos to its leadership team in Europe as Country Manager, Spain.
Constanza has nearly 24 years of experience in the European insurance industry. Most recently, she was Head of Distribution, Europe, at QBE Insurance, where she spent 14 years in increasingly senior positions. She holds Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Economics & Bachelor of Business Administration degrees from Universidad Pontificia Comillas.
“BHSI has been expanding rapidly, bringing consistency and stability to customers across Europe,” said Chris Colahan, Head of Europe, BHSI. “With her extensive industry experience and relationships, Constanza will play a pivotal role in accelerating our growth in Spain, and we are excited to welcome her to our team.”
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 a 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.