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1997年股东大会 · 巴菲特如何看待投资烟草行业的公司?

46 段 · 3 位说话人 · 原片 3:49
M1
M10:00

我叫 Michael Hooper。

My name is Michael Hooper.

我来自 Nebraska 州的 Grand Island。

I'm from Grand Island, Nebraska.

我很赞赏 Berkshire 推出 Class B shares。

I applaud Berkshire for starting the Class B shares.

我的问题是关于烟草股的,这类股票最近被打压得很厉害。

My question deals with tobacco stocks, which have been beaten down lately.

Berkshire 有没有持有烟草股?还有,现在其中有些股价跌下来了,这些股票是不是变得有吸引力了?

Does Berkshire own any tobacco stocks, and are some of these stocks attractive now that prices are down on some of them?

特别是一家叫 UST 的公司。

And in particular, a company called UST.

谢谢。

Thank you.
M2
M20:32

对,我们以前持有过——我们不评论现在持有什么,但我们过去确实持有过烟草股。

Yeah, we have owned— we won't comment on what we own now, but we have owned tobacco stocks in the past.

我们持有得从来不算多,虽然我们没多持有,可能是犯了个错误。

We've never owned a lot of them, although we may have made a mistake by not owning a lot of them.

不过我们过去确实持有过烟草股,也有人写信问我,我们到底该不该这么做。

But we've owned tobacco stocks in the past, and I've had people write me about whether we should do it or not.

我们在 Buffalo 有一家报纸。

We own a newspaper in Buffalo.

那家报纸刊登烟草广告。

It carries tobacco advertising.

我们不——嗯,其实 Charlie 是那家很了不起的仓储连锁 Costco 的董事,它以前叫 PriceCostco。

We don't— well, actually, Charlie's the director of the sensational warehouse chain called Costco, which used to be called PriceCostco.

你知道,他们卖香烟。

You know, they sell cigarettes.

所以我们算是分销链条的一部分。

So we are part of the distribution chain.

几年前我们做过一个决定,就是我们不想从事嚼烟的生产。

We made a decision some years ago that we didn't want to be in the manufacture of chewing tobacco.

当时有人给过我们机会去买一家公司,后来那家公司表现非常惊人。我们当时坐在 Memphis 一家酒店的大堂里讨论这件事,最后决定还是不做。

We were offered the chance to buy a company that has done sensationally well subsequently, and we sat in a hotel in Memphis in the lobby and talked about it and finally decided we didn't want to do it.

我能不能给你一点——

Can I give you some—
M3
M31:35

不是因为我们觉得它不会表现好。

It wasn't because we thought it wouldn't do well.

我们当时就知道它会表现很好。

We knew it was going to do well.
M2
M21:38

我们知道它会表现很好。

We knew it was going to do well.

但是现在,为什么我们——为什么我们可以接这些公司的广告,或者比如说,我们可以拥有一家卖这些产品的超市?

But now, why would we— why would we take the ads for those companies, or why would we own a supermarket, for example, that sells them?

或者一家 7-Eleven,你知道,或者卖这些东西的便利店之类的,却又不想去生产它们呢?

Or a 7-Eleven, you know, or convenience store that sells them or something of the sort, and not want to manufacture them?

我,我确实没法非常准确地回答你这个问题,但我只知道,一种情况会让我介意,另一种不会。

I, I really can't give you the answer to that precisely, but I just know that one bothers me and the other doesn't bother me.

我也相信,其他人会用不同的方式来划这条线。

And I'm sure other people would draw the line in a different way.

所以,我们没有大量持有烟草股,并不是因为我们把它们列进了抵制名单。

Uh, so the fact that we have not been significant holders of tobacco stocks has not been because they've been on a boycotted list with us.

这只是说明,综合来看,我们对它们长期的前景有足够多的不舒服,所以我们不想在这上面下很大的注。

That just means that overall we were uncomfortable enough about their prospects over time that we did not feel like making a big commitment in them.

Charlie?

Charlie?
M3
M32:30

对,我觉得每家公司、每个人,都得自己划定自己的伦理和道德界线。

Yeah, I think each company, each individual has to draw its own ethical and moral lines.

就我个人来说,我喜欢这种必须自己去划线的复杂和纠结。

Personally, I like the messy complexity of having to do that.

这让生活挺有意思的。

It makes life interesting.
M2
M22:48

我之前还没听过这个说法。

I hadn't heard that before.

那好,我们就让他来负责这个决定。

Well, we'll make him in charge of this decision.
M3
M32:54

不不,不过我觉得我们也没法特别有理有据地为自己的这个决定辩护。

No, no, but I don't think we can justify our call particularly.

我们只是——你总得在自己愿意做和不愿意做的事情之间画一条线,而这条线就是按我们自己的判断来画。

We just— you have to draw the line somewhere between what we're willing to do and what we're not, and we draw it by our own lights.
M2
M23:06

我们,我们曾经——比如说,几年前我们一度持有过很多 RJR Nabisco 的债券。

We, we've owned— we owned a lot of bonds at one time of RJR Nabisco, for example, some years back.

那我们是不是可以持有它的债券,却不持有它的股票呢?

And should we own the bonds and not own the stock?

我们是不是该持有它们?你知道,或者说,我们是不是愿意持有它的股票,却不愿意拥有这门生意?

Should we own them, you know, should we be willing to own the stock but not be willing to own the business?

这些都是很难判断的问题。

Those are tough calls.

可能美国最大的——最大的香烟分销商,或者说最大的香烟销售商,很可能就是 Walmart,因为他们什么都是卖得最多的。

Probably the biggest, the biggest distributor of— the biggest seller of cigarettes in the United States is probably Walmart, just because they're the biggest seller of everything.

他们也是 Gillette 产品最大的销售商,而且规模非常大。

They're the biggest seller of Gillette products, and they're huge.

那你说,这在道德上是不是让我觉得难以接受呢?

And, you know, do I find that morally reprehensible?

你知道,我并不这么觉得。

You know, I don't.

如果我拥有——如果我们拥有整个 Walmart,那我们也会在 Walmart 卖香烟。

If I owned— if we owned all of Walmart, we'd be, we'd be selling cigarettes at Walmart.

不过别人可能会有不同的看法,对此我也不会不同意他们。

But other people might call it differently, and I wouldn't disagree with them.

问题七。

Question 7.