Buffett’s $382 Billion Cash Pile Signals Caution Amid Historic Market Valuations

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has quietly become a net seller of equities for 12 consecutive quarters—the longest divestment streak in his six-decade reign. The Oracle of Omaha now sits atop a record $382 billion cash hoard, a war chest assembled as the S&P 500’s Shiller CAPE ratio flirts with 40, a level surpassed only by the dot-com bubble.

While maintaining Core positions in American Express and Coca-Cola, Berkshire’s recent purchases of Alphabet and UnitedHealth shares reveal a surgeon’s precision in this overvalued market. The 3.5% yield on short-term Treasuries appears to be Buffett’s preferred parking spot as he prepares to hand over the CEO role by 2025.

This isn’t panic. It’s the disciplined retreat of history’s greatest capital allocator—a man who famously warned against 'being fearful when others are greedy.' The $300 billion equity portfolio remains, but the cash buffer now equals 15% of Berkshire’s market cap, a hedge against what Buffett likely sees as speculative froth.