Everything Warren Buffett: CNBC: Berkshire Hathaway Slips to 5-1/2 Year Low, Down 50% From All-Time High

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

CNBC: Berkshire Hathaway Slips to 5-1/2 Year Low, Down 50% From All-Time High

Berkshire Hathaway fell only $750 a share today (Tuesday), just under 1 percent, but it's enough for a 5-1/2 year closing low.

At the closing bell, the price of one class A share of Warren Buffett's holding company was priced at $75,000. (The intraday low was even worse: $72,650.)

The last time it closed below $75k was September 17, 2003.

Berkshire shares have now dropped 49.7 percent from their all-time closing high of $149,200 on December 10, 2007.

They're down 17 percent from the near-term closing high of $90,400 just 14 trading days ago, on February 11.

Berkshire and the benchmark S&P 500 stock index are running neck-and-neck so far this year. Berkshire is down 22.4 percent year-to-date. The S&P has dropped 22.9 percent.

The S&P fell through its own milestone today, slipping below 700 for the index's lowest close since October 10, 1996.

If it's any consolation to long-term Berkshire holders, Buffett's stock is still up 135 percent from its close of $31,900 on that same October day more than 12 years ago.

Current Berkshire stock prices: