Fast forward to late March when the market is shocked to learn, according the Gainesvill Sun, "David Sokol has abruptly resigned from Berkshire Hathaway, the company run by the billionaire Warren E. Buffett, raising major questions about the future stewardship of the conglomerate." The 54-year-old was considered to be the top candidate to succeed the 80-year-old Buffett -- a major concern to Berkshire's investors." Furthermore, his departure occurs under a cloud of questionable trading.
According to the Economist, “this is toe-curling stuff for the great investor, who prides himself on fair-dealing and likes to stake out the moral high ground. Think derivatives, which he has damned as dangerous. Or his tut-tutting over Wall Street’s book-cooking. (In both cases there is a whiff of hypocrisy: Berkshire dabbles in derivatives and it was recently forced to write down holdings that regulators deemed overvalued.) The affair will fuel talk that Mr Buffett’s halo is slipping."
What do the numbers say? The Steel City Re Corporate Reputation Index shows a tinge of negative reputational activity at Berkshire Hathaway -- and a rather droll economic performance over the trailing twelve months.
The Index ranking for Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK) has dropped from the 100th percentile to the 98th percentile, the exponentially weighted moving average volatility has inched ever so slightly to 0.1%, and the reputation vector and velocity have been negative for a full month. These are insignificant movements -- perhaps, like the dog that didn't bark, they are notable because the economic performance of Berkshire Hathaway, a conglomerate, is trailing the median of its peers by 13%.
The halo may not yet be slipping, but it is increasingly vulnerable.
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