Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway cash pile soars to $382 billion

Core Insights - Berkshire Hathaway Inc. achieved a record cash pile of $381.7 billion in Q3, with operating earnings increasing by 34% to $13.5 billion, driven by higher insurance underwriting profit and low disaster activity [1] Financial Performance - The firm reported a decline in net investment income by 13% to $3.2 billion due to lower short-term interest rates, despite the increase in cash reserves [2] - Berkshire's primary insurance and reinsurance businesses turned a pretax underwriting profit this quarter, recovering from losses in the previous year [2] - Geico, Berkshire's auto insurance unit, experienced a 13% decline in pretax underwriting profit due to higher claims, although it continued to gain new clients [2] Share Buyback Activity - For the fifth consecutive quarter, Berkshire Hathaway chose not to repurchase its own shares, even after a nearly 12% drop in share price following the announcement of Warren Buffett's planned departure as CEO [3] Economic Indicators - Berkshire Hathaway's diverse business portfolio, which includes insurance, rail, energy, and manufacturing, serves as an important indicator of the overall health of the US economy [3]