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Strategies & Market Trends : The New Economy and its Winners -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jill who wrote (46619)	11/14/2008 5:45:54 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 57684

Buffett's Berkshire Boosts Stake in ConocoPhillips (Update1) By Erik Holm Nov. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. increased its holdings in oil producer ConocoPhillips and took a stake in hydraulics maker Eaton Corp. in the third quarter, expanding the firm's portfolio as markets tumbled. Berkshire had more than 83 million shares in Houston-based ConocoPhillips as of Sept. 30, compared with about 17.5 million on March 31, the company said today in a regulatory filing. Buffett, the world's preeminent stock picker, has said he's also spending his own money to buy U.S. stocks as prices decline amid the worst financial crisis in 75 years, switching his holdings from government bonds. Berkshire, where Buffett is chief executive officer and head of investing, spent about $3.94 billion on stocks in the quarter and sold shares for about $300 million, according to separate filings. ``Most major companies will be setting new profit records 5, 10 and 20 years from now,'' Buffett said in a column in the New York Times in October. ``If you wait for the robins, spring will be over.'' Berkshire was the largest shareholder of companies including Coca-Cola Co. and American Express Co. as of Sept. 30, with a portfolio worth $76 billion. Berkshire has been increasing investments in the past year in banks, including U.S. Bancorp and drugmakers such as France's Sanofi-Aventis SA. Buffett, named America's richest man by Forbes magazine, built Berkshire from a failing textile manufacturer into a $155 billion holding company by investing premiums from insurance subsidiaries such as Geico Corp. in out-of-favor securities and buying businesses whose management he deemed superior. To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Holm in New York at eholm2@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: November 14, 2008 16:40 EST