Does Warren Buffett Invest in Precious Metals?
Warren Buffett is widely-recognized for not investing in precious metals due to his focus on value investing principles. He has consistently stated this position publicly.
Gold falls under the second category, unproductive assets. As it does not produce anything tangible, buyers purchase gold in hopes that someone else may want it in the future.
Why Buffett Invests in Silver
The Oracle of Omaha has made an estimated investment in silver worth around a billion dollars, reflecting his value investing principles and believing it possesses intrinsic worth both as precious metal and industrial metal.
Silver fits his view that value investing should only focus on investing in tangible items with practical uses, and silver fulfills this criterion perfectly.
Buffett purchased 130 million ounces of silver at an approximate price of $6 per ounce – significantly higher than the current market rate and making many people question whether his decision to acquire so much precious metal for such a high cost was indeed wise.
Buffett’s Basic Principles of Investing
Gold and silver have long been seen as safe havens during times of uncertainty, leading to their popularity soaring. Yet Buffett remains firm in his belief that precious metals offer little in the way of returns as investments; his basic rule states that you should only buy something if it serves a useful purpose.
He believes it is better to invest in productive assets like businesses or farmland than assets which produce nothing tangible.
Buffett, known for being skeptical about precious metals like gold, was taken aback when Berkshire Hathaway purchased 129 million ounces of silver. Some have even called this move an “offset bet against” gold – although Buffett is typically known to take his time making decisions such as this and could indicate that his views have changed about the precious metal.
Why Buffett Doesn’t Invest in Gold
The Oracle of Omaha has long been an outspoken critic of gold. He believes investors should prioritize productive assets like stocks, bonds, real estate and farmland rather than speculations like gold which don’t produce income for its owners and don’t increase in value over time. Furthermore, according to him an ounce of gold can’t become any more valuable over time than any other asset class.
Buffett may be well known for his negative comments regarding gold, yet he himself has dabbled with precious metals in the past. In the 1990s he went on a silver buying spree and now owns nearly 129 million ounces. Kiyosaki believes Buffett isn’t being fair with his criticism of gold: He says his criticism stems from its lack of utility; investing money on what amounts to “baseless, worthless hunks of lustrous metal” requires storage space and incurs security fees; instead he says investors would better serve investing their funds elsewhere.
Buffett’s Final Words
Warren Buffett may be less fond of gold and silver investments, but that doesn’t mean he opposes them outright. In fact, Warren has invested in silver mining companies before while his Berkshire Hathaway firm currently owns significant holdings in one of the world’s leading gold miners – Barrick Gold.
Though the company doesn’t generate income, it fits Buffett’s value investing strategy by paying an attractive price for metal. Furthermore, it often performs well during times of economic instability.
Although investing in precious metals may be unprofitable, many investors see its attractiveness for safe haven appeal. It is important to keep in mind that these investments do not produce income, but should instead serve as part of a diversified portfolio as an insurance against inflation or market crashes. Investors seeking high returns should look elsewhere for investment options.
Comments are closed here.