President Trump’s tariffs announcement has sparked a global sell-off, leading to losses for many investors across the world. The world’s richest people saw tens of billions of dollars wiped from their net worths, in a matter of days.
One notable exception: Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, whose net worth has grown by $11.5 billion since the start of 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index.
Buffett is currently ranked as the world’s fourth-wealthiest person by Bloomberg, with a net worth of $154 billion — up from sixth-wealthiest on Monday. Of the top 18 individuals on that list, the investing icon is the only one whose estimated personal wealth has grown this year, as of Tuesday morning.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world’s richest person, has lost $135 billion so far this year, including $30.9 billion in just two days following Trump’s tariffs announcement on April 2, according to Bloomberg. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ estimated net worth is similarly down $42.6 billion this year, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s is down $24.5 billion.
Buffett is defying that downward trend with a cautious approach: The “Oracle of Omaha” compiled a record $334 billion in cash at the end of 2024, according to SEC filings. Buffett didn’t invest that cash because “nothing looks compelling,” he wrote in a February 22 letter to shareholders, though some analysts interpreted the conservative strategy as an indicator that Buffett was preparing for an economic downturn.
Now, some investors see Berkshire Hathaway — with its large amount of cash on hand — as a relatively safe place to put their money while the market turmoil shakes out, CNBC Pro reported on Sunday. Berkshire Hathaway’s stock is up nearly 14% since the start of 2025, and down just 2.3% since April 3, the morning after Trump’s announcement.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index is negative since January 1, and down almost 4% since April 3.
Buffett is known for an investing approach that prioritizes long-term thinking and spreading money across a wide swath of American businesses and industries. He often preaches patience to his investing disciples, warning them not to be overly reactionary, no matter what direction the market is moving.
People who “get too upset with price fluctuations … shouldn’t own a stock at all,” Buffett told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in February 2018.
His typical advice: Don’t make rash investment decisions based on the latest financial forecasts or economist predictions. “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful,” he wrote in The New York Times in 2008.
More generally, Buffett’s philosophy contends that holding onto a wide variety of stocks for a long time — 10 years, at least — eventually pays off, because the market typically trends upward over time.
“Our horizon for such commitments is almost always far longer than a single year. In many, our thinking involves decades,” Buffett wrote in his February letter. “These long-termers are the purchases that sometimes make the cash register ring like church bells.”
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