????上周六伯克希爾(Berkshire)在年度股東大會上宣布，該公司一季度凈利潤從上年同期的36億美元降至15億美元。首席執(zhí)行官沃倫?巴菲特稱，由于公司為日本和新西蘭地震、澳大利亞水災以及美國颶風災害后可能涌現的索賠請求計提理賠資金，其主要的保險業(yè)務稅前虧損17億美元。

????巴菲特表示，這些虧損導致伯克希爾保險子公司利潤大降近90%，九年來首次出現承保損失。他估計亞洲巨災將令全球再保險行業(yè)（即為保險公司提供保險的行業(yè)）付出約500億美元代價。

????如果看巴菲特推崇的季度數據——營運利潤（即不包括投資損益和衍生品交易品種的價值變化），那么伯克希爾的利潤較上年下降27%至16億美元。

????巴菲特稱，伯克希爾大多數業(yè)務當季繼續(xù)向好，特別是公司去年購入的伯靈頓北方鐵路公司（Burlington Northern）。該公司利潤飆升80%至9.08億美元。

????但伯克希爾的住宅相關業(yè)務依然困難，保險虧損吞噬了鐵路和所有其他子公司的盈利增加。

????在奧馬哈的奎斯特中心（Qwest Center），巴菲特告訴股東在簡要討論業(yè)績后，他將談談要事，即最近大衛(wèi)?索科爾的辭職。

????Berkshire's (BRKA) net profit dropped to $1.5 billion from $3.6 billion a year ago, the company said Saturday at its annual shareholder meeting. CEO Warren Buffett said Berkshire took $1.7 billion in pretax losses in its big insurance business, as the company reserved for probable claims on quakes in Japan and New Zealand, the Australian floods and a big cyclone.

????The losses dragged profits at Berkshire's insurance unit down almost 90% and put the company on track for its first underwriting loss in nine years, Buffett said. He estimated that the Asian catastrophes will cost the global reinsurance industry – the business of insuring insurers – some $50 billion.

????Using Buffett's preferred method of looking at quarterly numbers – the operating earnings that exclude investment gains and losses and changes in the value of derivatives trades – Berkshire's profits fell 27% from a year ago, to $1.6 billion.

????Buffett said most of Berkshire's businesses continued to improve in the quarter, notably the Burlington Northern railroad that the company purchased last year. Profits there surged 80%, to $908 million.

????But the company's residential housing related businesses continue to struggle and the insurance losses swamped the gains at the railroad and at its other units.

????Buffett told shareholders at the Qwest Center in Omaha that after a brief discussion of the earnings he will turn to the main event, a discussion of the recent resignation of David Sokol.