← 返回任务列表

2010年股东大会 · 伯克希尔的优势(秘密)之一,是愿意承受偶尔的巨大损失

42 段 · 3 位说话人 · 原片 4:58
F1
F10:00

保险业务用的是复杂模型,那 Berkshire 是怎么更放心地认为,保险业务模型不会像华尔街那些模型一样,把它暴露在重大风险之下呢?

As the insurance business uses complex models, how is Berkshire more comfortable that insurance business models are not exposing it to significant risks like the models did for Wall Street?

另外,如果这不属于保密内容的话,风险是不是有集中度?

Also, if it is not confidential, is there concentration of risk?

也就是说,哪些少数事件会给保险业务造成重大损失?

That is, what are those few events which can cause significant loss for insurance businesses?
M1
M10:19

我不确定我是不是都听明白了,不过,呃,我们面临着地震带来的重大风险。

I'm not sure I got all of that, but, uh, we run significant risks from earthquakes.

在智利地震那次——我不知道第一季度里会有多少。

We had, in the Chilean quake—I don't know how much would have been in the first quarter.

你们看我们的 10-Q,里面会有一个数字。

When you read our 10-Q, there'll be a number in there.

不过我们承保了 Swiss Re 20% 的份额。

But we insure 20% of Swiss Re.

那次损失里,我们会承担他们 20% 的损失。

We will take 20% of their loss from that.

我们,呃,在类似这样的事情上还有其他一些风险敞口。

We, uh, we have various other exposures in something like that.

我前面展示的那些数字里,已经把我们最好的估计算进去了。

We included our best estimate in those figures I put up earlier.

嗯,我们现在在地震或者飓风方面的峰值风险——这两类是发生频率和严重程度都最高的两种重大自然灾害——可能比几年前已经低了不少,不是因为我们对风险的偏好降低了,而是因为我们就是觉得那些地方的费率没那么有吸引力。

Um, our peak risks now in terms of earthquakes or hurricanes, which are the 2 biggest natural catastrophes in terms of frequency and severity, are probably down quite considerably from a few years ago, not because of any diminished appetite for risk, but we just haven't felt that the rates were that attractive in those areas.

但如果我们觉得费率有吸引力,我们完全愿意接下一组风险;如果真发生了非常接近最坏情况的事情,你知道,我们可能会亏掉 50 亿美元左右。

But if we thought the rates were attractive, we're perfectly willing to take on a group of risks where if something very close to worst case happened, you know, we would lose $5 billion or something like that.

卡特里娜飓风里我们亏了 30 多亿美元。

We lost $3 billion plus in Katrina.

9/11 那次,我们亏了超过 20 亿美元,我想实际上还要多不少。

We lost, uh, well over $2 billion, I think quite a bit more than that actually, on 9/11.

这种事以后还会出现。

There will be things come along like that.

不过从规模上来说,根本还没到让我们觉得不舒服的程度。

Nothing that ever remotely comes close to making us uncomfortable, though, in terms of the level.

我不知道我是不是完全回答了他那个问题,Charlie,不过你——

I don't know whether I got his full question there or not, Charlie, but you—
M2
M22:11

嗯,差不多。

Well, pretty close.

我会说,我们和大多数其他人的主要区别在于,我们是有意在寻找一种经营方式,让我们每年都会偶尔出现大额亏损,整体上出现大亏损,而其他人都在努力避免这种情况。

I would say that the main difference between our practice and that of most other people is that we are deliberately seeking a method of operation which will give us occasional big losses in a single year, big overall losses, and everybody else is trying to avoid that.

我们只想把自己做得足够富,这样单一年份里的大亏损就只是一个小波动。

And we just want to be rich enough so a big loss in a single year is a blip.

而这就是竞争优势,就是愿意承受年度业绩上下波动。

And that's a competitive advantage, that willingness to endure fluctuating annual results.

这可是个很大的优势,你说是不是?

Big advantage, wouldn't you say?
M1
M12:47

这是个巨大的优势。

It's a huge advantage.

这是个巨大的优势,而且别人谁也学不会。

It's a huge advantage, and it's one that no one else is going to pick up on.

我是说,你知道,他们知道我们在做什么,只是不想这么做,或者从资金实力上来说,他们做不到。

I mean, you know, they know what we do, they just don't want to do it, or they're unable to do it in terms of financial resources.

所以我会说,这几乎已经成为 Berkshire 一种永久而实质的优势了。

So I would say that comes very close to a permanent and substantial advantage at Berkshire.

别去想——当然你不该忘记这个——但先别去想那些人的痛苦之类的,只看 Katrina 带来的财务后果。

Forget about—and you shouldn't forget about it—but forget about the human suffering and all that, just the financial consequences of a Katrina.

你知道,当我们在那次损失了 30 亿美元时,从财务上说,我第二天的感觉跟前一天没有任何不同。

You know, when we lose $3 billion in that, I don't feel any different the next day than I felt the day before financially.

我是说,这根本没什么差别,因为我们本来就在干这行。

I mean, it just doesn't make any difference because we are in that particular game.

只要我们长期在拿到的保费这个问题上做出正确决定,只要我们从来不让自己暴露在那种真的会撼动我们资本结构的损失面前,或者类似的情况。

And as long as we make the right decisions over time in terms of the premiums we get, and as long as we never expose ourselves to a loss that would really shake up our capital structure or anything.

你知道,这是一场我们有巨大竞争优势的游戏,而且这种优势每年都在扩大。

You know, that is a game in which we have a huge competitive edge, and it gets wider every year.

所以,呃,呃,你知道,风险——我们做保险这门生意,本质上就是接住别人想把自己收益变得平滑稳定的这种需求,然后作为交换,拿到我们认为从长期来看更大、但一笔一笔起伏很大的收益。

So, uh, uh, you know, risk—we are in the business in insurance, we are in the business of taking the other guy's desire to smooth their earnings and, and in exchange get what we think are larger lumpy earnings, uh, over time.

呃,我们喜欢这门生意。

Uh, we like the business.

Carol?

Carol?

哦,你说吧,Charlie。

Oh, go ahead, Charlie.
M2
M24:15

嗯,我要说,Warren 所处的位置,和保险行业里很多其他人不一样。

Well, I say Warren has a different position than a lot of other people in the insurance business.

如果 Berkshire 某一年出现了很大的亏损,他还是可以照着自己刮胡子的镜子说,你的股东还是爱你的。

After a year in which Berkshire has a big loss, he can look into his shaving mirror and say, your shareholders still love you.

对,当然了,其他人可没有这种处境。

Yeah, sure, other people are not in that position.
M1
M14:31

Charlie 和我认识一个 Omaha 的人,四五十年前,他是美国最有钱的人之一,叫 Howard Ahmanson。

Charlie and I knew a guy from Omaha who 40 or 50 years ago was one of the richest guys in the United States named Howard Ahmanson.

Howard 对于凡是他接触到的东西,都有一种非得百分之百全资拥有的执念。

And Howard had a fetish about owning 100% of everything that he came in contact with.

所以别人问他为什么的时候,他说,我喜欢照着镜子说,我所有的股东都爱我。

And so he said, when asked why, he said, I like to look in the mirror and say, all my shareholders love me.

我倒没有极端到那个程度,不过我喜欢照着镜子说,至少有足够多的股东是爱我的。

And I'm not quite that extreme, but I like to look in the mirror and say, enough of my shareholders love me.