• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX

1

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026

2

'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream

3

Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
InvestingWarren Buffett

Legendary investor Warren Buffett marks 3 straight years as a net seller of stocks with a new CEO about to take charge at Berkshire

Jason Ma
By
Jason Ma
Jason Ma
Weekend Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jason Ma
By
Jason Ma
Jason Ma
Weekend Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 1, 2025, 12:20 PM ET
Warren Buffett at the annual Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, July 11, 2017.
Warren Buffett at the annual Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference in Idaho, July 11, 2017.Drew Angerer—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Berkshire Hathaway’s third-quarter earnings report on Saturday revealed Warren Buffett continued to sell more stocks than he bought, with the legendary investor poised to step down as CEO by year’s end.

Recommended Video

The conglomerate sold $12.5 billion of stock in the latest period and bought $6.4 billion worth, marking the 12th consecutive quarter of net selling. More details on specific stocks will come in a separate regulatory filing later this month.

Meanwhile, Berkshire Hathaway’s cash hoard swelled to a fresh record high of $382 billion as operating earnings jumped 34%, while Buffett held off on buying back stock for the fifth straight quarter.

As the company’s stock portfolio has shrunk, money has been shifting into Treasury debt. But with short-term rates falling recently, Berkshire Hathaway’s third-quarter net investment income dropped 13% to $3.2 billion.

The cautious stance on stock investing began in 2022, when the Federal Reserve launched its most aggressive rate-hiking campaign in more than 40 years to rein in inflation.

That tightening slammed stock valuations, but apparently not enough to trigger Buffett’s bargain-hunting instincts. The Fed’s subsequent pivot to rate cuts later sparked a rally that sent stocks to new highs.

More recently, the massive market selloff in April, after President Donald Trump unveiled his shocking tariffs, also didn’t get Buffett off the sidelines. In the second quarter, Berkshire Hathaway sold $3 billion in stocks on net.

Markets quickly bounced back and set new highs just months later with AI-related companies leading the charge. By contrast, Berkshire Hathaway shares have lost 12% since May, when Buffett announced that he will step down as CEO by the end of the year and hand over the role to Greg Abel.

While Buffett is expected to stay on as chairman, he may be staying away from dramatic moves to clear the decks for Abel, who had already been taking on a bigger leadership role before May.

But last month, Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy the chemicals business of oil giant Occidental Petroleum for nearly $10 billion, potentially marking the last big deal of his career. It should also boost Berkshire’s nearly 30% ownership of parent company Occidental. 

The Oct. 2 acquisition, Berkshire’s largest since buying insurer Alleghany in 2022, was the first-ever Berkshire announcement that quoted Abel and didn’t mention the current chief executive by name.

“It’s genius. It’s certainly a win-plus for Berkshire because it also helps the company that they own 30% of,” Doug Leggate, Wolfe Research energy analyst, told Fortune last month. “It’s completely self-serving, it’s logical, and—not in any nefarious way—definitely helpful.”

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
About the Author
Jason Ma
By Jason MaWeekend Editor

Jason Ma is the weekend editor at Fortune, where he covers markets, the economy, finance, and housing.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Investing

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Investing

Current price of Bitcoin for June 17, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for June 17, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks June 17, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on June 17, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
3 hours ago
Abhinav Agarwal and Jenny Duan
Startups & VentureBiotech
Exclusive: A 21-year-old Stanford grad just raised $11 million to put a hormone lab on your wrist
By Lily Mae LazarusJune 17, 2026
3 hours ago
Michael Burry attends the "The Big Short" New York premiere at Ziegfeld Theater on November 23, 2015 in New York City.
InvestingMichael Burry
Michael Burry is ‘tempted’ to short Elon Musk’s SpaceX, but says it’s not enticing enough for ‘fundamentally a small space company’
By Eleanor PringleJune 17, 2026
4 hours ago
op
EconomyWealth
Your raise used to go offshore. Then it went to a buyback. Now it’s going to a data center
By Nick LichtenbergJune 17, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
AI
Cursor’s 25-year-old CEO is a former Google intern who just cemented a $60 billion deal with SpaceX
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJune 16, 2026
1 day ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
Success
Team USA star Ricardo Pepi grew up in a trailer in El Paso—and his parents pawned their car title to fuel his soccer dream. Now, he’s in the World Cup
By Preston ForeJune 15, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, June 16, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 16, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.