Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now

Next Tuesday, Navios Maritime Holdings (NYSE: NM  ) will release its latest quarterly results. The key to making smart investment decisions on stocks reporting earnings is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Navios is far from the only company to suffer greatly from weak conditions in dry-bulk shipping lately, as low rates and a glut of capacity have put extreme financial pressure on the entire industry. With stubbornly persistent economic trends continuing to work against the company, can Navios pull itself out of a potential downward spiral of losses? Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Navios Maritime over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report.

Hot Life Sciences Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Jack In The Box Inc.(JACK)

Jack in the Box Inc. operates and franchises Jack in the Box quick-service restaurants and Qdoba Mexican Grill fast-casual restaurants. As of February 22, 2012, it operated and franchised 2,200 Jack in the Box restaurants in 20 states in the United States; and 600 Qdoba Mexican Grill restaurants in 42 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1951 and is based in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Sean Williams]

    A more expansive menu that allowed breakfast to be served all day could mean bigger profits for McDonald's -- but let�� face it: That's really been Jack in the Box's (NASDAQ: JACK  ) territory since day one. While Jack in the Box has made no qualms about emulating McDonald's interior redesigns and menu expansion in order to boost its own sales, it's been the company's promotion of its all-day breakfasts that make it one of the fastest growing fast-food restaurants in the United States.

  • [By Jeremy Bowman]

    Noodles and burritos
    The real appeal of Noodles and Company seems to come from its ambitious expansion plan. In its S-1 filing, management says it believes the company's store count can grow from 339 stores today to 2,500 in 15-20 years. There's no question that management can continue opening stores, but the company needs to be able to maintain enough appeal to make the expansion profitable. Jack in the Box (NASDAQ: JACK  ) , by comparison, has over 2,500 restaurants nationwide, including 600 Qdoba Mexican Grills, yet its market cap sits at just $1.8 billion, a similar valuation to the much smaller Noodles. Notably, Qdoba was once hailed as the successor to Chipotle, but its parent company recently announced it would close 67 underperforming locations of the burrito chain because of declining same-store sales.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd.(QIHU)

Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. provides Internet and mobile security products in the People's Republic of China. Its principal products include 360 Safe Guard, an Internet security product for Internet security and system optimization; 360 Anti-Virus, an anti-virus application to protect users? computers against trojan horses, viruses, worms, adware, and other forms of malware; and 360 Mobile Safe, a security program for the Google Android, Apple iOS, and Nokia Symbian smartphone operating systems. The company?s platform products comprise 360 Safe Browser, a Web browser; 360 Personal Start-up Page, a default homepage of 360 Safe Browser and a key access point to popular and preferred information and applications; 360 Application Store, a key access point to securely obtain and manage software and applications; and 360 Safebox, a solution that protects users against thefts of personal account information. It also provides online advertising services, including online marketi ng services and search referral services; and Internet value-added services comprising the operation of Web games developed by third-parties, remote technical support, and cloud-based services. The company was formerly known as Qihoo Technology Company Limited and changed its name to Qihoo 360 Technology Co. Ltd. in December 2010. Qihoo 360 Technology Co. was founded in 2005 and is based in Beijing, the People?s Republic of China.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Rick Munarriz]

    China's leading search engine has come under fire after the surprising success of Qihoo 360's� (NYSE: QIHU  ) �rival platform, which debuted last summer.

  • [By Kevin Cook , Zacks Investment Research]

    The Chinese have made it clear they like to build their own dominant companies in key industries, like the Internet for instance. For this reason, hedge fund manager John Burbank of Passport Capital has major investments in Baidu (BIDU), Qihoo 360 (QIHU), which specializes in Internet security, search, and mobile apps, and SouFun (SFUN) which he calls the “Zillow of China.”

  • [By Andrew Tonner]

    Although the market's been on a tear over the last 12 months, few companies have been hotter than Qihoo 360 (NYSE: QIHU  ) �-- and for good reason. The company, which began as an anti-virus software firm, has morphed itself into one of the most powerful Internet companies in all of China. In fact, over the last year, the company's done an impressive job leveraging its popular browser franchise as a means of attacking the lucrative search market. So, with this company making all the right moves, and its stock price rising accordingly, have investors missed out on the party? In this edition of our Ask a Fool series, Fool contributor Andrew Tonner breaks down Qihoo and gives his pick for the best buy in this space.

  • [By Dan Carroll]

    Solar wasn't the only Chinese sector to break into the green this week and defy manufacturing's gloomy outlook. Search engine firm Qihoo (NYSE: QIHU  ) picked up more than 3.3% on Friday alone after the company reportedly increased�its Chinese market share to 15%. Qihoo's grown rapidly, although with size could come slower growth in the future, especially as the firm goes up against Chinese search heavyweight Baidu (NASDAQ: BIDU  ) for market share. Baidu still holds the Chinese market in a vice, even as the firm's market share slipped below 70%, according to tech�site TechinAsia. The battle for Chinese search clicks should be an interesting and lucrative fight in the future between these two firms, as more and more of China's growing middle class expands online.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB)

Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell), incorporated on February 5, 2002, is an independent oil and gas company. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, investments in the numerous companies constituting Shell. Shell is engaged worldwide in the principal aspects of the oil and gas industry and also has interests in chemicals and other energy-related businesses. The Company operates in three segments: Upstream, Downstream and Corporate. Upstream combines the operating segments Upstream International and Upstream Americas, which are engaged in searching for and recovering crude oil and natural gas; the liquefaction and transportation of gas; the extraction of bitumen from oil sands that is converted into synthetic crude oil, and wind energy. Downstream is engaged in manufacturing; distribution and marketing activities for oil products and chemicals, in alternative energy (excluding wind), and carbon dioxide (CO2) management. Corporate represents the key support functions, comprising holdings and treasury, headquarters, central functions and Shell�� self-insurance activities. In October 2011, the Company bought a marine terminal on Canada's Pacific Coast as a possible site for a liquefied natural gas export terminal. In January 2012, the Company's 50% owned, Australia Arrow Energy Holdings Pty Ltd acquired all of the shares in Bow Energy Ltd. In January 2014, Royal Dutch Shell plc completed the acquisition of Repsol S.A.'s liquefied natural gas (LNG) portfolio outside North America.

Upstream International manages the Upstream businesses outside the Americas. It searches for and recovers crude oil and natural gas, liquefies and transports gas, and operates the upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver oil and gas to market. Upstream International also manages Shell�� entire liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) business, gas to liquids (GTL) and the wind business in Europe. Its activities are organized primarily within geographical units, although there are some activities that are mana! ged across the businesses or provided through support units.

Upstream Americas manages the Upstream businesses in North and South America. It searches for and recovers crude oil and natural gas, transports gas and operates the upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver oil and gas to market. Upstream Americas also extracts bitumen from oil sands that is converted into synthetic crude oil. Additionally, it manages the United States-based wind business. It comprises operations organized into business-wide managed activities and supporting activities.

Downstream manages Shell�� manufacturing, distribution and marketing activities for oil products and chemicals. These activities are organized into globally managed classes of business, although some are managed regionally or provided through support units. Manufacturing and supply includes refining, supply and shipping of crude oil. Marketing sells a range of products including fuels, lubricants, bitumen and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for home, transport and industrial use. Chemicals produces and markets petrochemicals for industrial customers, including the raw materials for plastics, coatings and detergents. Downstream also trades Shell�� flow of hydrocarbons and other energy-related products, supplies the Downstream businesses, markets gas and power and provides shipping services. Downstream additionally oversees Shell�� interests in alternative energy (including biofuels, and excluding wind) and CO2 management.

Projects and Technology manages the delivery of Shell�� major projects and drives the research and innovation to create technology solutions. It provides technical services and technology capability covering both Upstream and Downstream activities. It is also responsible for providing functional leadership across Shell in the areas of health, safety and environment, and contracting and procurement.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jim Jubak]

    But, to my mind, the biggest news of last week for the valuation of Cheniere actually came from Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB). Europe's biggest oil company announced that it would halt plans to build a $20 billion natural gas of liquids plant in Louisiana, even though the state of Louisiana had agreed on $112 million in subsidies. The project would have used cheap US natural gas to produce 140,000 barrels a day of liquid fuels normally made from oil. Royal Dutch Shell cited rising costs and uncertainty about oil and natural gas prices by the time the plant entered operation, in canceling the project.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: Zillow Inc (Z)

Zillow, Inc. (Zillow), incorporated on December 13, 2004, is a real estate and home-related information marketplaces. Zillow provides products and services to help consumers through every stage of homeownership buying, selling, renting, borrowing and remodeling. The Company make home-related decisions, and enabling homeowners, buyers, sellers and renters to find and connect with local professionals. Individuals and businesses that use Zillow have updated information on more than 37 million homes and have added nearly 100 million home photos. These profiles include detailed information about homes such as property facts, listing information, and purchase and sale data. In June 2012, the Company acquired RentJuice Corporation. In October 2012, the Company acquired Buyfolio, an online and mobile collaborative shopping platform. In December 2012, the Company acquired San Francisco-based HotPads, a map-based rental and real estate search site.

Zillow generates revenues from local real estate professionals, primarily on an individual subscription basis, and from mortgage professionals and brand advertisers. The Company�� revenues include marketplace revenues, consisting of subscriptions sold to real estate agents and advertising sold on a cost per click (CPC) basis to mortgage lenders, and display revenues consisting of advertising placements sold primarily on a cost per thousand impressions (CPM) basis. The Company provides current home value estimates, or Zestimates, and current rental price estimates, or Rent Zestimates, on approximately 100 million United States homes.

Marketplace Revenues

Marketplace revenues consist of subscriptions sold to real estate agents under its Premier Agent program and CPC advertising related to the Company�� Zillow Mortgage Marketplace sold to mortgage lenders. The Company�� premier agent program offers a suite of marketing and business technology solutions to help real estate agents grow their businesses and personal brands. The! premier agent program allows agents to select products and services that they can tailor to meet their business and advertising needs. In Zillow Mortgage Marketplace, participating qualified mortgage lenders make a prepayment to gain access to consumers interested in connecting with mortgage professionals. Consumers who request rates for mortgage loans in Zillow Mortgage Marketplace are presented with personalized lender quotes from participating lenders. The Company charges mortgage lenders a fee when users click on their links for more information regarding a mortgage loan quote. Mortgage lenders who exhaust their initial prepayment can then prepay additional funds to continue to participate in the marketplace.

Display Revenues

Display revenues primarily consist of graphical Web and mobile advertising sold on a CPM basis to advertisers primarily in the real estate industry, including real estate brokerages, home builders, mortgage lenders and home services providers. The Company�� advertising customers also include telecommunications, automotive, insurance and consumer products companies.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Amanda Alix]

    Indeed, according to Zillow (NASDAQ: Z  ) , this corner of the housing market is still hurting, with many stuck in the houses they presently own. Approximately 22 million people�don't have enough equity in their current home to make a move, and 44% of those with a mortgage still owe more than their home is currently worth. This fact should surprise no one, since a recent study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis shows that the average American household has regained a measly 45%�of the estimated $16 trillion of household wealth lost since the financial crisis.

  • [By John Udovich]

    Small cap online real estate listings stock Trulia Inc (NYSE: TRLA)�jumped 8.52%�yesterday and has doubled since the start of the year, but insiders have been selling -�meaning its time to take a closer look at the stock along with the performance of peers like Zillow Inc (NASDAQ: Z) and Move Inc (NASDAQ: MOVE). So what should outside investors do with Trulia Inc?

  • [By DAILYFINANCE]

    Gene J. Puskar/AP WASHINGTON -- U.S. home prices fell slightly in November as colder weather slowed buying, ending nine straight months of price gains. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index slipped 0.1 percent from October to November, partly reversing the previous monthly increase of 0.2 percent. But the index is not adjusted for seasonal variations, so the monthly decline partly reflects slower buying in the late fall as temperatures drop. "November was a good month for home prices," said David Blitzer, chairman of the S&P Dow Jones index committee. "Prices typically weaken as we move closer to the winter." Despite the overall decline, home values have continued to rise in many Sun Belt cities. Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix have registered 20 straight months of rising prices. But home prices surged for much of 2013, driven by big gains earlier in the year. Prices have risen 13.7 percent over the past 12 months. Dallas enjoyed its strongest annual gain since 2000. And Chicago home prices climbed at their strongest annual clip since December 1988. Among the cities in the index, only Detroit prices remain below their 2000 level. The Case-Shiller index covers roughly half of U.S. homes. The index measures prices compared with those in January 2000 and creates a three-month moving average. The November figures are the latest available. Some of the improvement in the housing market since 2012 has begun to slow in recent months. Rising mortgage rates and home prices have reduced affordability, an indication that the housing market will likely expand more gradually this year. "Sellers used to seeing huge price gains month after month may feel some whiplash as that slows down," said Stan Humphries, chief economist for the real estate firm Zillow (Z). "The housing market is still a long way from normal, but it's getting there." For all of 2013, sales totaled 5.09 million, the best performance since 2006, when sales climbed

  • [By Sean Williams]

    The first risk is clear as day. In addition to Trulia, Zillow (NASDAQ: Z  ) and Move (NASDAQ: MOVE  ) have found success over the past couple of quarters as the housing market has found a floor and inventory levels have dropped to multi-year lows. Zillow, for example, recently kicked off its first national TV ad campaign meant to boost its image and public awareness of the brand. With $179 million in cash and web traffic up 63% in its most recent quarter, there's a lot of reason to believe it'll give Trulia a run for its money. Similarly, Move witnessed its mobile app views jump by more than 100% from the previous year despite a tame 3% growth in website traffic. Simply put, if Trulia can't differentiate itself from Zillow and Move.com, it could be difficult to grow its top and bottom lines.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: EchoStar Corporation(SATS)

EchoStar Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, development, and distribution of digital set-top boxes and related products. The company?s EchoStar Technologies segment designs, develops, and distributes digital set-top boxes and related products and technology, including Slingbox placeshifting technology primarily for satellite television (TV) service providers, and telecommunication and cable companies that allow consumers to watch and control their home digital video and audio content through a broadband Internet connection; and Slingboxes for consumers through retail outlets. This segment also provides digital broadcast operations comprising satellite uplinking/downlinking, transmission services, signal processing, conditional access management, and other services primarily to DISH Network. Its EchoStar Satellite Services segment offers capacity leasing on a full-time and occasional-use basis primarily to DISH Network, as well as to Dish M exico, the U.S. government service providers, state agencies, Internet service providers, broadcast news organizations, programmers, and private enterprise customers through its 10 owned and leased in-orbit satellites and related Federal Communications Commission licenses. The company?s Hughes segment provides satellite broadband Internet access to consumers in North America; broadband network services and systems to the domestic and international enterprise markets; managed services and equipment to enterprises; turnkey satellite ground segment systems to mobile system operators; and microwave radio network systems for cellular backhaul and broadband wireless access. It has operations in North America, Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. EchoStar Corporation was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    Dish swung to a third-quarter profit, helped by an increase in revenue and subscriber rolls, while former unit EchoStar Corp.(SATS) posted a weaker profit. Dish results beat expectations, sending shares up 3.2% to $49 premarket.

  • [By James Miller Phd]

    The company has a current ratio of 13.05% which is higher than the one registered by Charter Communications Inc. (CHTR), Digital Globe Inc. (DGI), EchoStar Corp (SATS), Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (GILT) and Intelsat SA (I).

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc.(JOSB)

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. engages in designing, manufacturing, retailing, and direct marketing men?s tailored and casual clothing and accessories in the United States. The company?s product offerings include tuxedos, suits, shirts, vests, ties, sport coats, pants, sportswear, overcoats, sweaters, belts and braces, socks, and underwear. It sells its products primarily under the Jos. A. Bank label through its own and franchised stores, and catalogs, as well as the Internet at josbank.com. The company also sells branded shoes from various vendors. As of April 30, 2011, it operated 515 retail stores, which consists of 489 company-owned full-line stores, 12 company-owned outlet and factory stores, and 14 stores owned and operated by franchisees in 42 states and the District of Columbia. The company was founded in 1905 and is based in Hampstead, Maryland.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Jack Kramer and Nick Martell] Links worth snacking on: Chart of the Week: The six greatest investors of all time. BlackRock Blog: Three ways men and women make different investment decisions. Harvard Business Review: Three mistakes to avoid when networking. Slate: How the burrito is the future of the American economy. Freakonomics: Want to win Olympic medals? Fix your economy. Business Insider: What's inside the $85,000 Academy Awards nominee gift bag? Quartz: Will J. Crew have an IPO, be sold, or merge (with Uniqlo)? Modern Luxury: Young banking bros are heading West. Sorry, Jennifer Lawrence. You were phenomenal in American Hustle, but we think that February deserves a gold statue from the Academy -- not only was it the Dow's best month since January 2013, but the S&P 500 closed above a record 1,850 points for the first time ever. With those kinds of performances, Wall Street should be throwing February an after-party worthy of a Miley Cyrus publicity stunt. � 1. The fourth-quarter earnings winner ...
    Domino's Pizza's (NYSE: DPZ  ) �earnings were double-stuffed like their crusts, jumping 18% from last year as the chain opens up new ovens internationally. The U.S. market is tight-packed with pizza spots, from your favorite $1-a-slice deal to luxurious brick-oven operations, so the 570-plus new stores abroad are bringing home the bread for Domino's. � But what about expectations? Analysts have already been pretty hungry and bullish on Domino's over 2013. Wall Street was already projecting profit growth of 16% for Domino's and has sent the stock up 63% in the past year. � To show the love, Domino's isn't doing a new extra-pepperoni deal, but increasing its dividend by $0.25 per share. The news is a sign that a growing Domino's is ready to return cash to shareholders as its spreads the dough into new lands.
    2. ... and the fourth-quarter earnings loser
    Target (NYSE: TGT  ) �earnings slid a whopping 46% after the 40-million-credit card s
  • [By Jacob Meredith]

    The Men's Wearhouse (NYSE: MW  ) and Jos. A. Bank Clothiers� (NASDAQ: JOSB  ) have been caught up in a hostile takeover battle for nearly six months. It all started on Oct. 8 when Jos. A Bank made a bid to acquire its much larger rival, Men's Wearhouse.

  • [By Rich Duprey]

    Coming as it does on the heels of the ouster of Men's Wearhouse (NYSE: MW  ) founder and company spokesman George Zimmer, the rejection by Jos. A. Bank (NASDAQ: JOSB  ) shareholders of its CEO's pay package represents a serious dressing-down of men's clothiers.

Top 10 Shipping Companies To Watch In Right Now: AmTrust Financial Services Inc (AFSI)

Amtrust Financial Services, Inc., incorporated on November 7, 1990, is a holding company. The Company is a multinational specialty property and casualty insurer focused on generating consistent underwriting profits. The Company operates in four business segments: small commercial business, specialty program and personal lines reinsurance. The Company transacts business through 11 insurance company subsidiaries: Technology Insurance Company, Inc. (TIC), Rochdale Insurance Company (RIC), Wesco Insurance Company (WIC), Associated Industries Insurance Company, Inc. (AIIC), Milwaukee Casualty Insurance Company (MCIC), Security National Insurance Company (SNIC), AmTrust Insurance Company of Kansas, Inc. (AICK) and AmTrust Lloyd�� Insurance Company of Texas (ALIC). In January 2013, the Company acquired First Nonprofit Companies, Inc. In February 2013, the Company's subsidiary acquired Car Care Plan (Holdings) Limited (CCPH) from Ally Insurance Holdings, Inc.

Small Commercial Business

Small Commercial Business segment provides workers��compensation to small businesses that operate in low and medium hazard classes, such as restaurants, retail stores, physicians and other professional offices, and commercial package and other property and casualty insurance products to small businesses. The Company is authorized to write its Small Commercial Business products in all 50 states. The Company distributes its policies through a network of over 8,100 select retail and wholesale agents who are paid commissions based on the annual policy premiums written. Commercial package products provide a range of insurance to small businesses, including commercial property, general liability, inland marine, automobile, workers��compensation, and umbrella coverage.

The Company maintains Small Commercial Business property and casualty claims operations in several of its domestic offices and the commercial package claims operation is separated into four processing units: casualty, propert! y, cost-containment/recovery and a fast-track physical damage unit. As of December 31, 2012, its Small Commercial Business property and casualty claims were approximately 61% automobile and 13% property and inland marine with the remaining 26% involving general liability and umbrella losses.

Specialty Risk and Extended Warranty

The Company��Specialty Risk and Extended Warranty segment provides coverage for consumer and commercial goods and custom designed coverages, such as accidental damage plans and payment protection plans offered in connection with the sale of consumer and commercial goods in the United States and Europe, and certain niche property, casualty and specialty liability risks in the United States and Europe, including general liability, employers��liability and professional and medical liability. specialty risk business primarily covers, such as legal expenses in the event of unsuccessful litigation; property damage for residential properties; home emergency repairs caused by incidents affecting systems, such as plumbing, wiring or central heating; latent defects that materialize on real property after building or completion; payment protection to insureds if they become unable to meet financial obligations under finance contracts; guaranteed asset protection (GAP) to cover the difference between an insurer�� settlement and the asset value in the event of a total loss, and general liability, employers��liability, public liability, negligence of advisors and liability of health care providers and medical facilities.

The Company's extended warranty business covers selected consumer and commercial goods and other risks, including personal computers; consumer electronics, such as televisions and home theater components; consumer appliances, such as refrigerators and washing machines; automobiles (excluding liability coverage); furniture, and heavy equipment. The Company also serve as a third party administrator to provide claims handling and ca! ll center! services to the consumer products and automotive industries in the United States and Canada. It underwrites the specialty risk coverage on a coverage plan-level basis, which involves substantial data collection and actuarial analysis, as well as analysis of applicable laws governing policy coverage language and exclusions.

Specialty Program

The Company�� Specialty Program segment provides workers��compensation, package products, general liability, commercial auto liability, excess and surplus lines programs and other specialty commercial property and casualty insurance to a narrowly defined, homogeneous group of small and middle market companies. The type of risk covered by this segment is similar to the type of risk in Small Commercial Business but also covers, to a small extent, certain higher risk businesses. The coverage is offered through accounts with various agents to multiple insureds. Policyholders in this segment primarily include industries, such as retail, wholesale, service operations, artisan contracting, trucking, light and medium manufacturing, habitational and professional employer organizations. As of December 31, 2012, the Company underwrote 77 programs through 44 independent wholesale and managing general agents. Workers��compensation insurance consists approximately 33% of this business during the year ended December 31, 2012.

Personal Lines Reinsurance

The Company�� Personal Lines Reinsurance Segment has a 20% participation in the Personal Lines Quota Share, by which it receive 10% of the net premiums of the personal lines business. The Personal Lines Quota Share provides that the reinsurers, severally, in accordance with their participation percentages, will receive 50% of the net premium of the GMACI Insurers and assume 50% of the related net losses.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Ben Levisohn]

    For the past several years, Berkshire has contrasted its own cost-free float provided by profitable underwriting against the industry�� (unimpressive) tendency to lose money on underwriting while generating net returns from investment income. So far, so good. Less edifying, though, is the repeated contrast of Berkshire�� track record of profitability to State Farm��…even though, as a mutual company, State Farm�� profitability goals are inherently different from for-profit insurers like Berkshire. It�� true that through year-end 2013, Berkshire�� underwriters have ��ow operated at an underwriting profit for eleven consecutive years,��but so have ACE (ACE), American Financial (AFG),� AmTrust Financial (AFSI), Arch Capital (ACGL), Chubb (CB), HCC (HCC), Progressive (PGR), RLI (RLI), and W.R. Berkley (WRB), any or all of whom provide a more meaningful comparison than contrasting Berkshire�� results to a company that�� not out to produce a profit in the first place.

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