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Was the fourth quarter of 2018 just a bad dream for investors? It sure looks like it now. With just two trading sessions left in the month, the S&P 500 is on track to close out the first four months of the year with its best results in 32 years (1987), has rallied more than 20 percent from the December lows, and has also bested its previous all-time high!
Warren Buffett released the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter to investor anticipation and fanfare. Yes, we wanted his perennial wit and wisdom, but there is always something that every investor can learn from the Oracle of Omaha.
Warren Buffett just released the 2017 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter, an annual
missive that is part performance review and part market wisdom, often offered with a
healthy dose of humor and a few jabs at the financial services industry. (One of my
favorites: “When trillions of dollars are managed by Wall Streeters charging high fees, it
will usually be the managers who reap outsized profits, not the clients.”)
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase announced plans to create a new health care company aimed at tackling rising insurance costs. How could it impact the economy?
“Both large and small investors should stick with low-cost index funds,” according to Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett. In his annual shareholder letter, the Oracle of Omaha reminded investors something they probably know intuitively, “When trillions of dollars are managed by Wall Streeters charging high fees, it will usually be the managers who reap outsized profits, not the clients.” This is not a new message for Buffett. Three years ago, he provided similar advice to the trustees of his estate: “Put 10 percent of the cash in short-term government bonds and 90 percent in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund…I believe the trust's long-term results from this policy will be superior to those attained by most investors…who employ high-fee managers.”
