Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio) returns to center stage this weekend for Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A, Financial) annual meeting in Omaha, and the spotlight will shine brightest during his live Q&A with Vice Chair Greg Abel.
Doors open at 7 a.m. Saturday at the CHI Health Center, with the first question session kicking off at 8 a.m., streaming on CNBC and CNBC.com/BRKLive. After a brief intermission at 10:30 a.m., the dialogue resumes at 11 a.m., before the formal shareholder meeting begins at 2 p.m. and the exhibit hall closes at 4 p.m.
Buffett, who Forbes pegs at a $164 billion net worth, will address hot-button topics: his succession timeline, capital deployment strategy for Berkshire's $160 billion cash stockpile, and his take on the Fed's next move.
Greg Abel, tapped as heir apparent, is expected to field questions on insurance-float growth at Geico, the rail-freight outlook at BNSF Railway and the company's massive Apple stake. Lawrence Cunningham of the University of Delaware notes that investors prize these sessions for their candid, unscripted nature—Buffett's off-the-cuff comments often reveal more than quarterly filings ever could.
Shareholders must also vote on politically charged proxy proposals, including demands for a clean-energy financing ratio and an AI-risk oversight committee—initiatives Berkshire's board opposes.
Last year, an As You Sow clean-energy ask garnered 21% support, signaling growing ESG pressure even at Buffett's fortress of value investing. This year's agenda tests whether Berkshire's brand of shareholder engagement can balance tradition with evolving governance expectations.
For individual investors, Buffett's core mantra—“be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful”—serves as a timeless guide. He has famously scooped up stocks during every crisis, from 2008's meltdown to the COVID-19 sell-off, arguing that companies with strong moats will compound value over decades.
As the market navigates tariffs, rate volatility and valuation extremes, his remarks could prompt portfolio rebalancing among retail and institutional holders alike.
With tomorrow's Q&A and afternoon meeting coming into view, markets will be primed for every nugget of Buffett's wisdom. Whether he reaffirms his faith in U.S. stocks or issues a cautionary note on the next downturn, his reflections will shape sentiment far beyond the Cornhusker State.
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