Last month, Berkshire Hathaway held its annual shareholder meeting which included Buffett’s famous letter to shareholders. In his letter, Buffett is quite transparent with his thoughts about Berkshire’s operations and how he views the economy and markets.  Investors are especially interested in his view on the economy and markets. But what he says and what others perceive isn’t always the same. 

The Media’s Take 

I have been talking for years about how detrimental the financial media is for investors. They do not have your best interest at heart, only their own profits. Instead of reporting actual facts, they spin information to get the greatest clicks – and this usually is done with a negative bias since negativity sells. True to form, they misrepresented Buffett’s outlook. A sampling of headlines: 

• Why Is Warren Buffett Hoarding So Much Cash?
• Is Berkshire Hathaway hoarding cash out of fear — or waiting for an opportunity?
• Warren Buffett Is Out of Step With Markets. Berkshire Hathaway Keeps Selling Stock

What Buffett Actually Said 

Part of being an astute investor is going beyond the headlines and learning the facts – all the facts before forming an opinion and making a decision. In this case, after reading the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder letter, you would have learned Buffett’s real views about how he manages money for Berkshire shareholders:

• “Rest assured that we will forever deploy a substantial majority of your money in equities” 
• “The great majority of your money remains in equities” 
• “Berkshire will never prefer ownership of cash-equivalent assets over the ownership of good businesses” 

Compare the three headlines with the three quotations from Warren Buffett and you get a completely different feel for his outlook. If you ever have questions about headlines or other news, please reach out to me so you can get the complete, unbiased story. 

©Behavioral Advisor Academy