The continued pause on buybacks comes as Berkshire shares have lagged the broader market recently. Berkshire’s stock has risen only 5% in the year to date, versus a 16% rise for the S&P 500 over the same span. During the third quarter, Berkshire’s stock advanced 3.5%, about half the gain seen for the S&P 500 over that period.

U.S. stocks closed higher Friday, with shares of Amazon surging following its quarterly earnings results. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended October with monthly gains despite the government shutdown.