The Titans Talk – Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Shareholder Meeting
With the markets and the world worried over the strength of the economy, two older but bright minds were able to give some lasting input at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting. These people are Berkshire CEO Warren Buffett and Vice Chairmen Charlie Munger, who are respectively 92 and 99 years old. The value investing titans began the meeting by confirming and easing worries over the volatility of the current market, with Buffett citing the recent turmoil experienced by regional banks. With large financial positions injected into several popular American banks, Buffett affirmed that although banks will continue to undergo tighter pressures, the deposits of customers, whether insured or uninsured, will remain safe under regulators and Congress. He continued to reiterate the root of the banking situation is fear, and how improper communication of the safety of deposits has led to fear snowballing into a contagion.
With Berkshire Hathaway’s vast diversification into several stocks, industries, and subsidiaries, both Buffett and Munger had to address the ongoing plight of the real estate market. With Berkshire Hathaway’s HomeServices being of the largest real estate companies in the nation, Buffett and Munger addressed how higher borrowing costs will continue to cripple the commercial real estate industry. With these expected losses, they expect much lower year-over-year earnings for this year. Lastly, Munger lectured on the popularity of AI, claiming industries will rapidly change but also stressing that he believes human intelligence will always remain on top. Nevertheless, Berkshire Hathaway’s stock remains at a positive 4.75% year to date, only beating the Dow Jones out of the three main indices.
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I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.