Buffett Says Recent Market Volatility ‘Really Nothing,’ Urges Investor Calm

The 94-year-old Berkshire CEO also revealed that he plans to retire at the end of the year.
Buffett Says Recent Market Volatility ‘Really Nothing,’ Urges Investor Calm
Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, smiles as he plays bridge following the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting in Omaha, Neb., May 5, 2019. Nati Harnik, File/AP Photo
Tom Ozimek
Updated:
0:00

Warren Buffett on May 3 urged long-term investors not to be shaken by short-term swings and focus on fundamentals amid recent market volatility.

“What has happened in the last 30, 45 days … is really nothing,” Buffett told shareholders at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting on May 3 in Omaha, Nebraska. “This is not been a dramatic bear market or anything of the sort.”

Buffett made clear that wild market swings, while unsettling in the moment, are nothing to panic about.

“If it makes a difference to you whether your stocks are down 15 percent or not, you need a somewhat different investment philosophy,” he said. “The world is not going to adapt to you. You’re going to have to adapt to the world.”

He reminded attendees that Berkshire Hathaway’s stock has dropped by 50 percent three times in its history, and each time, the fundamentals of the company remained sound.

“People have emotions,” he said. “But you got to check them at the door when you invest.”

Berkshire Hathaway’s own first-quarter earnings, released on Saturday ahead of the meeting in Omaha, reflected the challenging environment. Operating income fell 14 percent year over year to $9.6 billion, while the company’s cash reserves surged to a record $347.7 billion, up from $334 billion at the end of 2024.

The massive cash pile—larger than the GDP of many countries—reflects not just Buffett’s trademark caution but also the challenge of finding investment opportunities in an uncertain economic environment.

Buffett’s comments at the 60th annual meeting in Omaha came as investors continue to digest the ripple effects of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff policy, which triggered a market pullback last month and renewed concerns over the possibility of a short-term recession. Trump, for his part, has said the economic turbulence is a necessary transition period, predicting that any pain now will be offset by long-term gains.

Markets have shown signs of stabilizing. The S&P 500 capped its longest winning streak since 2004 last week, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 560 points on Friday.

Meanwhile, the U.S. economy contracted by 0.3 percent in the first quarter—the first quarterly decline in over two years—driven largely by a drop in exports and a rush of imports ahead of tariff deadlines.
Private domestic investment jumped by nearly 22 percent—a development economist Stephen Moore described as “rocket fuel for future growth that America needs”—and the Atlanta Federal Reserve currently projects a 1.1 percent rebound in second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP).

In its quarterly filing, Berkshire warned that “considerable uncertainty remains” due to “ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical events,” including tariffs, supply chain inefficiencies, and fluctuating customer demand. “It is reasonably possible there could be adverse consequences on most, if not all, of our operating businesses,” the company noted.

Beyond markets, the 94-year-old Buffett also revealed that he plans to retire at the end of the year.

“I think the time has arrived where Greg should become the Chief Executive Officer of the company at year end,” Buffett said, referring to Berkshire vice-chairman Greg Abel. Four years ago, Buffett picked Abel to be his successor at the helm of Berkshire, but prior to Saturday’s announcement, he gave no indication when he would retire.

Buffett also weighed in on broader policy issues, particularly trade and energy.

“Balanced trade is good for the world,” he said. “In the United States, we should be looking to trade with the rest of the world. We want a prosperous world.”

He also noted that America’s fragmented energy infrastructure poses challenges and called for smart policies.

“It is important that the United States have an intelligent energy policy, just as it was important during World War II that we learned how to make ships instead of cars extremely fast,” he said. “And we figured out the answer. We combined private enterprise with ... the power of ... government,” he said.

Trump has made expanding domestic energy production a key focus of his administration, fast-tracking permits and launching regulatory rollbacks under the banner of his famous campaign slogan “drill, baby, drill.”
Tom Ozimek
Tom Ozimek
Reporter
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
twitter