No. of Recommendations: 2
Barron's recap, '' Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman and former Daily Journal chairman Charlie Munger said at the publishing and technology company's annual meeting that Berkshire stock is a 'pretty damn good bet, and he wouldn't count on a break up of Warren Buffett's conglomerate soon.
Munger said: 'I don't think it's at all likely that it will be broken up for a long, long time.' Buffett opposed breaking up Berkshire. Barron's recently wrote that shareholders could benefit because the sum of Berkshire's parts could be worth more than the stock price.
Munger, a longtime Costco Wholesale director, praised Berkshire's competitive advantage but acknowledged its high valuation. The stock trades for 40 times trailing earnings in its fiscal year that ended in August 2022.
A longtime cryptocurrency critic, Munger said China's President Xi Jinping was right to ban digital currencies. As for the U.S., 'so many people believe in this crap, and the government allows it.' He called those advocating for cryptocurrencies 'idiots.'
On longevity, Munger, who is 99, said he doesn't exercise 'on purpose,' saying the only time he did was when he was forced to do so in the Army. 'This is the key to longevity,' Munger said, munching on See's Candies peanut brittle. The company is owned by Berkshire.
Munger also said artificial intelligence is 'not going to cure cancer,' and he called California unfriendly to business because of high state and local income taxes. He opposes President Joe Biden's proposal to raise the tax on stock buybacks to 4% from the current 1%, adding that he's a Republican.''
