Buffett suffers worst return for decade against S&P

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway suffered its worst return against the stock market for a decade in 2009 - a year which saw indices around the world rally.

Berkshire Hathaway was up just 2.7% on the New York Stock Exchange in 2009; its worst relative performance since plunging 20% in 1999. Its $26bn takeover of railroad group Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp has been cited as one reason for Berkshire's poor showing. The company's worse-than-expected performance came during a year in which US stock markets made ground with the country leading the global economic recovery after the Obama administration's stimulus packages. The S&P 500 index rallied 25% since the start of the year. The Sage of Omaha has historically outperformed the ind...