Finboldยท2025-09-22 12:14Investment Exit - Berkshire Hathaway has fully exited its investment in BYD, marking the end of a highly successful investment period [1][6] - The initial investment of 225 million shares in 2008 for $230 million saw a peak value of around $9 billion in Q2 2022, representing a nearly 3,900% increase over 17 years [2] Investment Performance - The exit was gradual, with Berkshire starting to reduce its holdings in August 2022, selling nearly 76% of its stake by June 2023, which brought ownership below 5% [2][3] - By early 2024, the value of the investment had declined from $5.1 billion in Q3 2022 to $1.7 billion in Q2 2024, and by Q1 2025, it was reported at zero [3] BYD's Market Challenges - BYD is currently facing significant challenges, including its first quarterly profit decline in three and a half years, attributed to slowing demand and price wars in China's EV market [7] - Domestic sales, which constitute 80% of BYD's deliveries, have decreased for four consecutive months, leading to a reduction in its 2025 sales target by up to 16% [7] Global Expansion and Competition - Despite expanding into Asia and Latin America, BYD's entry into Europe is hindered by tariffs up to 35%, and it faces a complete barrier in the U.S. due to 100% tariffs [8] - Although BYD became the world's largest EV maker in 2023, its goal to achieve over half of its sales outside China by 2030 appears increasingly uncertain [8]