
Amid a massive sell-off in the US stock market, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett has a record $334 billion in cash. This is the first time since the 1980s that Warren Buffett has so much cash. The total market capitalization of the currently listed companies of the S&P 500 is $45.378 trillion. Based on Warren Buffett's cash, he can buy the bottom 476 companies of the index, which is about 73% of the total market capitalization.
The S&P 500 comprises the largest 500 companies in the US and represents about 80% of the market value of all publicly traded US stocks. In 2024, Berkshire sold $134 billion worth of equities, nearly doubling the year-end cash from the previous year.
Warren Buffett has accumulated cash after reducing major stakes, including Apple and Bank of America. Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway Group in the US reduced its stake in Bank of America to 8.9% in Q4, selling 117.5 million shares. Although Berkshire reduced its Apple stake at the beginning of 2024, there is no change in it in the final months of the year. Apple remains the company's largest stake, accounting for 28% of the portfolio. Warren Buffett himself explained the reason Warren Buffett explained in his recently released annual letter why the company has kept $334 billion in cash at the end of 2024. His decision to keep more cash proved to be successful. Berkshire Hathaway's stock has risen more than 17% in 2025, while the S&P 500 has fallen 8%. Still, Buffett assured investors that most of Berkshire's money is still in stocks, especially US stocks. He said this will not change soon. In the letter, he wrote, “Berkshire will never prioritize assets like cash over ownership of good businesses, whether we own them fully or partially.”
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