Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Outperforms S P 500 Amid Market Volatility; Net Worth Climbs

Amidst a volatile global stock market in early 2025, Warren Buffett's net worth has seen an increase of $11.5 billion, reaching $154 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This contrasts with the losses experienced by many of the world's wealthiest individuals. Berkshire Hathaway's resilience, particularly its insurance business, has contributed to this outperformance, with its Class A shares increasing 25.5% in 2024, narrowly beating the S&P 500's 23.3% gain. In 2024, Buffett strategically adjusted Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. While the company reduced its holdings in Apple by approximately 600 million shares, Apple remained its largest stock holding at $69.9 billion. Berkshire also trimmed its stake in Bank of America. At the same time, Berkshire Hathaway took a new $1.2 billion stake in Constellation Brands and increased its position in Occidental Petroleum. By the end of 2024, Berkshire's cash reserves had soared to $325.2 billion. Berkshire Hathaway's strong performance was largely driven by solid operating earnings and hefty investment income. The company also benefited from strong underwriting earnings in its insurance unit, notably from Geico. Despite beating the S&P 500 in 2024, Buffett has tempered expectations for future performance, citing the company's size as a factor that could make future gains more difficult.