Greg Abel's first quarterly report as Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRKA)(NYSE: BRKB) CEO came with a number that's hard to look past. The conglomerate ended the first quarter of 2026 with a record $397 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and short-term Treasury bills -- up from around $373 billion at the end of 2025, and equal to more than a third of the company's market value.
A pile that size invites a dramatic reading: that Warren Buffett and Abel are bracing for a crash. But that may read too much into it. The cash is less a market call than the result of a simpler problem. At today's prices, Berkshire continues to struggle to find much worth buying.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The balance didn't swell in a single quarter. Berkshire has been a net seller of stocks for more than a dozen quarters in a row, parting with well over $150 billion more in equities than it has bought since late 2022.
In the first quarter of 2026 specifically, Berkshire sold about $8 billion more stock than it purchased. Money that leaves the equity portfolio and isn't put into a new investment generally lands in Treasury bills, where it earns a decent yield while it waits.
A pile that size invites a dramatic reading: that Warren Buffett and Abel are bracing for a crash. But that may read too much into it. The cash is less a market call than the result of a simpler problem. At today's prices, Berkshire continues to struggle to find much worth buying.
Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »
The balance didn't swell in a single quarter. Berkshire has been a net seller of stocks for more than a dozen quarters in a row, parting with well over $150 billion more in equities than it has bought since late 2022.
In the first quarter of 2026 specifically, Berkshire sold about $8 billion more stock than it purchased. Money that leaves the equity portfolio and isn't put into a new investment generally lands in Treasury bills, where it earns a decent yield while it waits.
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