Warren Buffett, the world’s fourth richest person, stood out among his peers as one of the few billionaires whose net worth has increased since the U.S. President Donald Trump imposed his reciprocal tariff, which wiped a significant chunk of the wealth from global elites in the past few days.
Buffett has been adopting a more conservative approach to Berkshire Hathaway’s investment strategies in 2024, selling a significant amount of stakes in Apple and Bank of America, and instead focusing on cash reserves and treasury bills.
He has been quiet on the rationale behind his shift in tactic, but analysts have speculated that the move was a response to growing economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions that has plagued the past year.
In September 2024, Berkshire Hathaway sold an astonishing 67% in total of Apple stake. While Buffett may have cited corporate income tax as a reason behind the dumping, the holding firm still has a significant hold in Apple.
From mid-July to November of the same year, the conglomerate decreased its stake in Bank of America by $10.52 billion in total or around 26% of its 2Q24 holding, quoting the same tax reason. Although some analysts suggest that the Buffett team may have foreseen trouble in Wall Street.
After Trump unleashed his aggressive import levies on all of U.S. trading partners in early April, the world’s 500 richest people have lost more than $500 billion in net worth after two trading sessions. Elon Musk, the world richest person and Trump’s ally, lost $134.7 billion in 2025 so far, bringing his worth down to $297.8 billion on Monday.
Meanwhile, Buffett has gained $11.5 billion this year so far, bumping his personal wealth to $153.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Furthermore, Berkshire Hathaway stock dipped 8.8% since the tariff announcement, compared to S&P 500’s 10.7% slump. Its resilience reflects the property and casualty sector isolation from global economic chaos. Although some investors suspected that Buffett will make a large purchase during the rout.
