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Berkshire Hathaway buys back $9.6 billion of its stock as operating earnings fall

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets across the spectrum.

5 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Trader at NYSE trading floor monitors showing Berkshire Hathaway Inc. stock quote.
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Berkshire Hathaway said Saturday in a statement that it repurchased $9.6 billion of its own shares in the third quarter, and that its operating earnings fell 5.8% from a year earlier to $12.7 billion. CNBC reports that the company more than doubled its buybacks from the second quarter. The Washington Times reports that overall profit fell more than 28% as the value of its investments changed, and that Geico disappointed. The Financial Times reports that new chief executive Greg Abel was a net seller of stocks in the period and that the company's shares beat the S&P 500.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. Editors read every story. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Berkshire Hathaway repurchased $9.6 billion of its own shares in the third quarter.

    Reported byLeft1Center1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg
    Center
    Financial Times
    Right
    The Washington Times

  2. Berkshire said it accelerated its share repurchases in the third quarter, more than doubling the second quarter's pace.

    One outletCNBC· Center

  3. The company said operating earnings fell 5.8% from a year earlier to $12.7 billion.

    One outletBloomberg· Left

  4. Overall profit fell more than 28% as the value of its investments changed, the Washington Times reports.

    One outletThe Washington Times· Right

  5. New chief executive Greg Abel was a net seller of stocks in the period, the Financial Times reports.

    One outletFinancial Times· Center

  6. The company's shares beat the S&P 500 in the period, the Financial Times reports.

    One outletFinancial Times· Center

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side reports the $9.6 billion third-quarter buyback and a fall in earnings. Center outlets stress buyback size beside lower earnings, the left stresses record buybacks and weaker insurance, and the right sets buybacks against a 28% fall in overall profit.

  • the left

    1 outlet

    Bloomberg headlines lead with the buyback, calling it a record in one and pairing it with rising buybacks and falling operating earnings in the other, with analyst commentary on capital use.

    Berkshire Hathaway’s Operating Earnings Fall, Buybacks Rise
    BloombergLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines present the buyback as a large capital move set against declining earnings, with the Financial Times focusing on the buyback and the new CEO's stock trading.

    Berkshire Hathaway more than doubles buybacks in third quarter as earnings decline
    CNBCCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    1 outlet

    The only right-side report, from the Washington Times, sets the $9.6 billion buyback against a fall in profit, a single newsroom's framing rather than a wider right-side pattern.

    Berkshire Hathaway buys back $9.6B of its own stock but its profits declined
    The Washington TimesRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Right1

    Geico disappointed

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    Geico disappointedMore neutral: Geico's results were weaker than expected

    The verb judges Geico's results as a letdown instead of stating what the results were.

    …repurchased $9.6 billion worth of its own shares in the third quarter, but Geico disappointed and its overall profit fell more than 28% as the value of its investments…

    Used byThe Washington Times (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

1 outlet

Leads with

  • record buybacks
  • falling operating earnings
  • how the new CEO deploys cash

Leaves out

  • the 28% fall in overall profit reported by the Washington Times
  • Abel's net stock selling reported by the Financial Times

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the leftHide the headlines

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • size and pace of buybacks
  • declining earnings
  • new CEO's stock trading

Leaves out

  • Geico's disappointing results reported by the Washington Times

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

1 outlet

Leads with

  • buybacks set against falling profit
  • Geico's disappointing results
  • changes in investment values

Leaves out

  • the Financial Times report that the new CEO was a net seller of stocks

Reported by other sides, not found in this side’s coverage.

See the headline from the rightHide the headlines
  • The Washington TimesRight

    Berkshire Hathaway buys back $9.6B of its own stock but its profits declined

    Berkshire Hathaway repurchased $9.6 billion worth of its own shares in the third quarter, but Loaded verb“Geico disappointed”The verb judges Geico's results as a letdown instead of stating what the results were.More neutral: Geico's results were weaker than expectedDisagree with this highlight? and its overall profit fell more than 28% as the value of its investments changed.

    Read at The Washington Times (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Nov 7, 8:01 AM EST

  • Center

    52 min later

    Its first report, Nov 7, 8:53 AM EST

  • Right

    2 hr 5 min later

    Its first report, Nov 7, 10:06 AM EST

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftNov 7, 8:01 AM EST
  2. Financial TimesCenterNov 7, 8:53 AM EST
  3. CNBCCenterNov 7, 9:02 AM EST
  4. The Washington TimesRightNov 7, 10:06 AM EST

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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