Does Warren Buffett invest in gold? Why or why not? (2024)
Warren Buffett does not invest in gold. He has invested almost $1 billion in silver, so the reason for his aversion is not simply a dislike for precious metals. The explanation for Buffett's dislike of gold and for his enthusiasm about silver stems from his basic value investing principles.
Key Takeaways
Warren Buffett has been vocal that he feels gold lacks value because it lacks usefulness.
A key principle of value investing, as Buffett practices it, says you should only invest in things that serve some practical purpose.
Silver has myriad uses, and Buffett has invested nearly $1 billion in it.
Warren Buffett has been very vocal about his disdain for gold as an investment. He sees little to no value in it. What Buffett refers to as a lack of value results from a lack of usefulness. He once stated about gold, "It doesn't do anything but sit there and look at you."
One of Buffett's basic principles of investing is that one should only invest in things that are useful and that serve some purpose and that supply some practical need that people have. Silver has a myriad of industrial and medical uses. In medicine, silver is used in bandages, catheters, and as a healing agent for burns and other health conditions. It's also used for water purification. In electronics, silver is the best metal conductor of electricity and doesn't corrode, so it's used extensively in wiring and connective parts, computers, cellphones, and cameras. It is even used to coat DVDs because it is scratch-resistant.
Therefore, silver meets Buffett's requirement of having a real and identifiable value. Even better, from the point of view of an investor, silver is almost uniquely suited to a number of the uses it serves as an industrial metal and would be difficult to replace with any substitute material.
Gold does not meet Buffett's usefulness requirement. Although it has some industrial applications, it is not virtually irreplaceable as silver so often is. Gold makes pretty jewelry, but it is by and large without practical uses. In Buffett's opinion, since it has virtually no inherent value, it is not a good financial asset. The metal commodity that glitters for Buffett is silver, not gold.
As Buffett told his shareholders at a Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, “If you take all the gold in the world…and put it into a cube, it will be a cube that's about 67 feet on a side…but it's not going to do anything for you.” Buffett therefore doesn't see any utility in owning gold because it can't produce things.
The answer to whether Warren Buffett invests in gold is a simple “no.” This probably doesn't surprise the “Oracle of Omaha” followers, as he's been very outspoken and open regarding his investment style, strategies and ownership. He's even spoken directly about whether he would invest in gold numerous times.
Buffett is also uninterested in gold. In his 2011 letter to shareholders, he noted that gold has two significant shortcomings, “being neither of much use nor procreative.” “If you own one ounce of gold for an eternity, you will still own one ounce at its end.
Gold is considered a resilient investment. When interest rates fall, gold prices tend to rise, as bullion becomes more appealing than income-paying assets like bonds. Investors also regard gold as a hedge against inflation, betting bullion will retain its value when prices rise.
Gold has historically been an excellent hedge against inflation because its price tends to rise when the cost of living increases. Over the past 50 years, investors have seen gold prices soar and the stock market plunge during high-inflation years.
Warren Buffett's stock purchases in the most recent quarter include Chubb Limited (CB) and Occidental Petroleum (OXY). HP Inc. (HPQ) and Paramount Global (PARA) are among Warren Buffett's stock sales in the most recent quarter. The Berkshire Hathaway portfolio includes 41 stocks as of May 2024, including Apple Inc.
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Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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