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In this edition, Zalando poised as a winner; growth looms for Scotts Miracle Gro; how does Buffett defend Berkshire's cash hoard now; and Bio-Rad, Genmab A/S, and Topsports International.

Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company with a wide array of subsidiaries engaged in diverse activities. The firm's core business segment is insurance, run primarily through Geico, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group, and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. Berkshire has used the excess cash thrown off from these and its other operations over the years to acquire Burlington Northern Santa Fe (railroad), Berkshire Hathaway Energy (utilities and energy distributors), and the companies that make up its manufacturing, service, and retailing operations (which include five of Berkshire's largest noninsurance pretax earnings generators: Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Clayton Homes, Marmon, and IMC/ISCAR). The conglomerate is unique in that it is run on a completely decentralized basis.

Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company with a wide array of subsidiaries engaged in diverse activities. The firm's core business segment is insurance, run primarily through Geico, Berkshire Hathaway Reinsurance Group, and Berkshire Hathaway Primary Group. Berkshire has used the excess cash thrown off from these and its other operations over the years to acquire Burlington Northern Santa Fe (railroad), Berkshire Hathaway Energy (utilities and energy distributors), and the companies that make up its manufacturing, service, and retailing operations (which include five of Berkshire's largest noninsurance pretax earnings generators: Precision Castparts, Lubrizol, Clayton Homes, Marmon, and IMC/ISCAR). The conglomerate is unique in that it is run on a completely decentralized basis.

Operating under three separate brand names (Banco de Chile, Banco Edwards-Citi, and Banco CrediChile) Banco de Chile is the second largest in the country by loans and third largest by deposits. Banco de Chile generates most of its net interest income (roughly 60% of total revenue) from its mortgage, unsecured consumer credit lines, and commercial loans, with 25% of its outstanding loans being made to firms with more than 10,000 million CLP in revenue. Outside of its banking business, Banco de Chile is the largest asset manager in the country and one of the largest security brokerages, supporting its substantial fee-based revenue.