Berkshire Says Buffett is OK, but Stock Sinks

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Thursday denied rumors that billionaire investor Warren Buffett is seriously ill, even as investors pushed the firm’s slumping stock to a 52-week low.

Rumors about Buffett’s health have been circulating in Internet chat rooms for the last few days, prompting the company to issue a statement calling the rumors “100% false.”

The 69-year-old Buffett’s hometown newspaper, the Omaha World Herald, said Wednesday that two close friends of Buffett said he was in good health. The rumors may have been spread by someone hoping to profit from a decline in the stock, the newspaper said.

So far, it’s working: Berkshire Hathaway’s Class B shares (BRK/B) slid $40 to $1,548 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, the lowest closing price since early 1998.