Quote from stock_trad3r:
The point is, presently buffet missed out on stocks like google, apple, or even exxon which proves that he isn't in tune with the market.
Sorry, as much as I like you stock, you're dead wrong on this one. He's not "missing" GOOG or AAPL. He would never look at them in the first place. He's not "out of tune with the market", he has problems finding
investment opportunities that fit his style since he's simply too big. I think BRK right now sits on $40 bln in cash. With each deal he needs to deploy $5+ bln which greatly limits the universe of possibilities.
A couple years ago, Buffet was asked what return he thinks he could produce these days if he were not limited by his sheer size. He said if he "only" had to invest $1 million he still thinks he could average 40% a year with his old arbitrage/trading style. It's still possible. Seth Klarman and Monish Pabrai are great examples. Pabrai returned something like 28% annually (that is net of his fees!) from 1999 to 2006 with no down years through one of the most vicious bear markets in history. He started in 1999 with money from friends and family at around $1 million and now runs a $500 million deep value hedge fund with hundreds of investors.
If you knew a thing about Buffet then you'd understand he'd never invest in companies like AAPL and GOOG simply because it's next to impossible to understand how these companies will work in 10 years. If you look at the "AAPLs" and "GOOGs" (i.e. other big huge momentum tech stocks) of e.g. 1977, 1987 or 1997 you will see that many of them are delisted and bankrupt by now. The same will very likely be the case in 2017 with many of today's momo names. There is little history and certainty in their business models and industries. That doesn't mean AAPL and GOOG and the likes will all go bankrupt, it simply means the risk/reward ratio with these kind of companies - in Buffet's view - is not very favorable over the long term. Regarding XOM, instead of that he owns COP and Petrochina since years. Also he recently went into Rail stocks as a proxy for higher oil prices.
Remember people started ridiculing Buffet many times and he has always come out on top, over 40 years. In 2000 they declared the death of value investing and Buffet was "left behind" because he "didn't understand the power of the Internet". This guy has seen all the hype, drama and frenzy of all bull and bear cycles and is still here, making more and more money for himself and his investors every decade. And I guarantee you when the next bear market wipes out many momentum addicts - which might happen tomorrow or maybe only after 5 years from now - BRK will still be here.
Here's a 90 minute video of Buffet speaking in front of FL MBA students in case anyone is interested:
http://ddo.typepad.com/ddo/2006/11/warren_buffett_.html