Thanks for the write-up. I was talking to my older sister last week, and she told me that she had pulled entirely out of the market. I appreciated your insights and balance, and I decided that I would follow Buffet more than my sister. S&P500 exposure NOT in a predetermined model is being replaced with BRK/B.
But you're not putting all your eggs in one basket? I think we can be pretty certain about what will likely happen in the unfortunate moment when Buffett eventually steps down, and that's not going to be far from now.
Buffett made these moves months ago while the rest of us are just finding out now—the ultimate reminder that by the time news hits, smart money has already repositioned.
No, Warren Buffett did not recently sell all his stock in S&P 500 companies. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, still holds significant investments in many S&P 500 companies, like Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola. While Buffett has trimmed some positions and sold out of certain ETFs like the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY) and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), these ETF holdings were a tiny fraction of his portfolio—less than 0.01%. Berkshire also sold some shares of specific companies, but the idea of him dumping all S&P 500 stocks isn’t accurate. He’s sitting on a big cash pile, around $334 billion, which suggests caution, not a total exit from the market. Check Berkshire’s latest 13F filings for the full picture—they’re public and show exactly what he’s holding.
Thanks for the write-up. I was talking to my older sister last week, and she told me that she had pulled entirely out of the market. I appreciated your insights and balance, and I decided that I would follow Buffet more than my sister. S&P500 exposure NOT in a predetermined model is being replaced with BRK/B.
But you're not putting all your eggs in one basket? I think we can be pretty certain about what will likely happen in the unfortunate moment when Buffett eventually steps down, and that's not going to be far from now.
No. My retirement income and its portfolio makeup does NOT depend on either S&P500 or BRK/B.
Buffett made these moves months ago while the rest of us are just finding out now—the ultimate reminder that by the time news hits, smart money has already repositioned.
Feb 14, 2024: Q4 2023 13F filing shows net stock sales (~$0.5B).
May 4, 2024: Q1 earnings & Annual Meeting reveal a major Apple stake cut and cash rising to ~$189B.
July 30, 2024: SEC filings disclose significant Bank of America stock sales.
Aug 3, 2024: Q2 results report cash surging to ~$277B, with aggressive T‑bill purchases.
Nov 2, 2024: Q3 results confirm further equity sell-offs; cash climbs to ~$325B.
Nov 14, 2024: 13F filings confirm ~$133B net equity sales, solidifying the shift toward T‑bills.
No, Warren Buffett did not recently sell all his stock in S&P 500 companies. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, still holds significant investments in many S&P 500 companies, like Apple, American Express, and Coca-Cola. While Buffett has trimmed some positions and sold out of certain ETFs like the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY) and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO), these ETF holdings were a tiny fraction of his portfolio—less than 0.01%. Berkshire also sold some shares of specific companies, but the idea of him dumping all S&P 500 stocks isn’t accurate. He’s sitting on a big cash pile, around $334 billion, which suggests caution, not a total exit from the market. Check Berkshire’s latest 13F filings for the full picture—they’re public and show exactly what he’s holding.
That's what my article says, except a big pile of T-bills. I read the 13F filing.
Dumping the entirety of the VOO basket and many companies while still holding few. READ THE ARTICLE.
I framed it as the S&P 500 because I had limited space in the title, and I wanted people to read the article.
I didn't put VOO in the title because few people know what that is.
Substack's Heisenberg's principle— the more precise you are in your words, the less interesting it will be for the people to read them.