Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK.B) made 17 moves in the final quarter of 2024, none of them would be considered earth-shattering decisions. Nonetheless, Warren Buffett continues to tread carefully when investing in the markets.
President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have taken a sledgehammer to government agencies in pursuit of cost-cutting. But some investors are growing increasingly concerned that their strategies will hurt,
While some investors are likely to focus on the biggest-dollar moves made in the fourth quarter, such as the continued aggressive selling of No. 3 holding, Bank of America, the more telling action might be Berkshire's complete exit from the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF ( VOO 0.24%) and SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ( SPY 0.23%).
The Oracle of Omaha has $180 billion collectively invested in four brand-name companies with well-defined competitive advantages and phenomenal capital-return programs.
In other words, history has shown that when Buffett's prized valuation tool moves well beyond the bounds of its long-term average, trouble follows for Wall Street. This may be why the Oracle of Omaha has been a net seller of stocks for eight consecutive quarters at Berkshire Hathaway, to the tune of $166.2 billion.