Warren Buffett’s cash fortress Berkshire closes gap with S&P 500 as AI worries depress Wall Street

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The upturn for Berkshire shares has minimize its underperformance versus the benchmark S&P 500 to 4.3 proportion factors from 12.2 proportion factors on October 29.

Working earnings for Berkshire’s wholly owned corporations had been up 34% to nearly $13.5 billion within the third quarter, with a 200% improve for insurance coverage underwriting earnings.

There have been once more no inventory buybacks, an indication Buffett doesn’t suppose Berkshire shares are considerably undervalued regardless of their weak point since Could.

With no cash spent on shopping for again Berkshire shares and fairness gross sales outpacing purchases, the corporate’s September 30 money hit $381.7 billion, up 10.9% for the reason that finish of June.

In the event you subtract BNSF’s money and account for the timing of some Treasury invoice purchases, the whole is $354.3 billion, up 4.3% from June.

Warren Buffett could also be delivering his ultimate message as Berkshire’s CEO subsequent Monday.

This week the corporate confirmed in a information launch what it informed the Wall Avenue Journal final week.

“On Monday, November tenth, Berkshire will likely be issuing a press launch which will include a message from Mr. Buffett relating to philanthropy, Berkshire and different issues that Berkshire shareholders and others might discover to be of curiosity.”

The philanthropy half will most likely be linked to his annual Thanksgiving contributions to household foundations.

The “Berkshire and different issues” portion might be one thing of a farewell message as he prepares to step down as CEO on the finish of the yr.

Whereas he’ll stay chairman of the board, he won’t be on stage at subsequent Could’s assembly and new CEO Greg Abel will likely be writing the annual letter to shareholders.

Since he seems to be deliberately limiting his future alternatives to talk to shareholders and the remainder of the world, Buffett could also be able to have his ultimate say now.

We cannot know for certain till subsequent Friday’s launch of Berkshire’s Q3 fairness portfolio snapshot, nevertheless it appears to be like like there have been extra gross sales of Apple shares in the course of the three months ending September 30.

CNBC.com’s Yun Li notes Berkshire’s 10-Q final Saturday reported a $1.2 billion decline in its price foundation for shopper product shares, which would come with Apple.

She additionally factors out that Apple’s 24% achieve in the course of the quarter would have supplied a possibility for Buffett to lock in additional earnings.

Apple stays Berkshire’s largest fairness holding, at the moment valued at $75.2 billion, nevertheless it has minimize the place by 69% over the previous two years.

Barron’s divides that $1.2 billion price foundation drop by $35, Apple’s per-share foundation, to estimate Berkshire might have bought 35 million shares for round $8 billion, primarily based on Apple’s common worth of $230 per share in the course of the quarter.

With Apple reporting in its 10-Q that it had $12.4 billion in Q3 fairness gross sales, Barron’s suggests plenty of the remaining $4.4 billion could also be Financial institution of America gross sales, one other massive place that Berkshire has been sharply lowering.

That stake has been minimize by round 40% for the reason that starting of final yr.

At $32.2 billion, it’s Berkshire’s third largest fairness holding.

All 5 of the shares are at or close to all-time highs.

The mixed worth of Berkshire’s reported holdings is approaching $33 billion, up from $31 billion only one month in the past.

The determine might be even greater assuming a few of Berkshire’s continued shopping for has not but been publicly revealed.

Berkshire Hathaway has a brand new warning about YouTube movies with “photographs or AI created photographs impersonating” Warren Buffett.

A information launch Thursday mentioned, “Usually, such video photographs of Mr. Buffett might seem to appear like him however the sound of the impersonator talking in a really flat monotone voice is clearly not the voice of Mr. Buffett.”

It added, “Mr. Buffett is worried that a majority of these fraudulent movies have gotten a spreading virus. People who’re much less accustomed to Mr. Buffett might imagine these movies are actual and be misled by the contents of those movies.”

In April, a Berkshire launch cited unspecified “experiences at the moment circulating on social media” about “feedback allegedly made” by Buffett and mentioned, “All such experiences are false.”

Buffett additionally warned shareholders on the 2024 Berkshire annual assembly that AI’s skill to create faux audio and video may make scamming “the expansion business of all time.”

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Warren Buffett explains why traders ought to take a look at their shares the identical approach they might take a look at proudly owning a farm or an condominium.

WARREN BUFFETT: If in case you have a temperament that when others are fearful, you are going to get scared your self, you recognize, you aren’t going to make some huge cash in securities over time, perhaps.

You understand, individuals actually — in the event that they did not take a look at quotations — however after all, the entire world is urging them to have a look at quotations, and greater than that, do one thing primarily based on small adjustments in quotations.

However suppose how way more rational — we have talked about it earlier than — however suppose how way more rational investing in a farm is than the best way many individuals purchase shares.

In the event you purchase a farm, do you get a quote subsequent week, do you get a quote subsequent month? In the event you purchase an condominium home, do you get a quote subsequent week or month?

No, you take a look at the condominium home or the farm, and also you say, “I count on it to supply so many bushels of soybeans and corn, and if it does that, it meets my expectations.”

In the event that they purchase a inventory and so they suppose if it goes up it is fantastic, and if it goes down it is unhealthy.

We predict simply the other. When it goes down, we like it, as a result of we’ll purchase extra. And if it goes up, it kills us to purchase extra.

And I — you recognize — all types — you recognize, Ben Graham wrote about it. It has been defined. However if you cannot get your self in that psychological perspective, you are going to be scared every time all people else is scared.

And to count on any individual else to let you know when to purchase and due to this fact get your braveness again up or one thing, you recognize —

I may get this fellow’s braveness up considerably by saying this can be a fantastic time to purchase, after which per week from now he’d run into any individual else that tells him the world is coming to an finish and he’d promote.

I imply, he is a dealer’s buddy, however he is not going to make some huge cash.

Berkshire’s high holdings of disclosed publicly traded shares within the U.S., Japan, and Hong Kong, by market worth, primarily based on at the moment’s closing costs.

Holdings are as of June 30, 2025 as reported in Berkshire Hathaway’s 13F submitting on August 14, 2025, aside from:

The complete checklist of holdings and present market values is accessible from CNBC.com’s Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker.

Please ship any questions or feedback concerning the publication to me at [email protected]. (Sorry, however we do not ahead questions or feedback to Buffett himself.)

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Additionally, Buffett’s annual letters to shareholders are extremely really useful studying. There are collected right here on Berkshire’s web site.

— Alex Crippen, Editor, Warren Buffett Watch