Berkshire Hathaway profit rises, helped by stock gains

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Saturday said quarterly operating income rose 14%, while soaring prices of stock holdings such as Apple Inc led to a higher overall profit.

Fourth-quarter operating income rose to $5.02 billion from $4.42 billion a year earlier, it said.

Net income, reflecting the stock gains, rose 23% to $35.84 billion from $29.16 billion a year earlier.