Most Popular
1. Banking Crisis is Stocks Bull Market Buying Opportunity - Nadeem_Walayat
2.The Crypto Signal for the Precious Metals Market - P_Radomski_CFA
3. One Possible Outcome to a New World Order - Raymond_Matison
4.Nvidia Blow Off Top - Flying High like the Phoenix too Close to the Sun - Nadeem_Walayat
5. Apple AAPL Stock Trend and Earnings Analysis - Nadeem_Walayat
6.AI, Stocks, and Gold Stocks – Connected After All - P_Radomski_CFA
7.Stock Market CHEAT SHEET - - Nadeem_Walayat
8.US Debt Ceiling Crisis Smoke and Mirrors Circus - Nadeem_Walayat
9.Silver Price May Explode - Avi_Gilburt
10.More US Banks Could Collapse -- A Lot More- EWI
Last 7 days
US Presidential Election Cycle and Recessions - 18th Mar 24
US Recession Already Happened in 2022! - 18th Mar 24
AI can now remember everything you say - 18th Mar 24
Bitcoin Crypto Mania 2024 - MicroStrategy MSTR Blow off Top! - 14th Mar 24
Bitcoin Gravy Train Trend Forecast 2024 - 11th Mar 24
Gold and the Long-Term Inflation Cycle - 11th Mar 24
Fed’s Next Intertest Rate Move might not align with popular consensus - 11th Mar 24
Two Reasons The Fed Manipulates Interest Rates - 11th Mar 24
US Dollar Trend 2024 - 9th Mar 2024
The Bond Trade and Interest Rates - 9th Mar 2024
Investors Don’t Believe the Gold Rally, Still Prefer General Stocks - 9th Mar 2024
Paper Gold Vs. Real Gold: It's Important to Know the Difference - 9th Mar 2024
Stocks: What This "Record Extreme" Indicator May Be Signaling - 9th Mar 2024
My 3 Favorite Trade Setups - Elliott Wave Course - 9th Mar 2024
Bitcoin Crypto Bubble Mania! - 4th Mar 2024
US Interest Rates - When WIll the Fed Pivot - 1st Mar 2024
S&P Stock Market Real Earnings Yield - 29th Feb 2024
US Unemployment is a Fake Statistic - 29th Feb 2024
U.S. financial market’s “Weimar phase” impact to your fiat and digital assets - 29th Feb 2024
What a Breakdown in Silver Mining Stocks! What an Opportunity! - 29th Feb 2024
Why AI will Soon become SA - Synthetic Intelligence - The Machine Learning Megatrend - 29th Feb 2024
Keep Calm and Carry on Buying Quantum AI Tech Stocks - 19th Feb 24

Market Oracle FREE Newsletter

How to Protect your Wealth by Investing in AI Tech Stocks

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger Tag Team Gold

Commodities / Gold and Silver 2012 May 07, 2012 - 12:41 PM GMT

By: Eric_McWhinnie

Commodities

It is no secret that Warren Buffett publicly dislikes gold. Earlier this year, Berkshire’s CEO and largest shareholder reminded investors in a Fortune article that gold has limited industrial demand and even said the precious metal “will remain lifeless forever.” Apparently, the strong distaste for the yellow metal runs throughout the Omaha-based company.


Charlie Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire, recently sat down with CNBC’s Becky Quick to discuss the economy, Federal Reserve and even gold. When asked about the Fed, Munger says he has no real quarrel with the central bank system. However, he clearly has some issues with gold. He said, “I think gold is a great thing to sew onto your garments if you’re a Jewish family in Vienna in 1939, but civilized people don’t buy gold, they invest in productive businesses.” The statement is extreme to say the least, but reinforced the view from Buffett’s right-hand man.

In 2010, Munger gave a speech at the University of Michigan that discussed bailouts and also touched on gold. While Munger says we should all thank God for the bailouts, he spoke quite differently on gold. He said, “I don’t have the slightest interest in gold. I like understanding what works and what doesn’t in human systems. To me that’s not optional; that’s a moral obligation. If you’re capable of understanding the world, you have a moral obligation to become rational. And I don’t see how you become rational hoarding gold. Even if it works, you’re a jerk.”

Ironically, the United States and the Federal Reserve system holds more gold than any other country in the world. According to the latest statistics from the World Gold Council, the U.S. holds 8,133.5 tonnes of gold, representing 77.1 percent of its reserves. Furthermore, Berkshire owns several subsidiary companies such as Ben Bridge Jeweler, Borsheims Fine Jewelry and Helzberg Diamonds. I doubt these companies, which rely on “lifeless” elements such as gold to run a business, would appreciate the remarks made by Buffett and Munger.

Perhaps the hostility Buffett and Munger have towards gold comes from the hard asset outperforming Berkshire shares for the past decade? Since May 2002, Berkshire shares have increased 64 percent. Meanwhile, the price of gold has surged 430 percent in the same period. While the 80-something billionaire investors probably couldn’t care less about gold’s outshining performance, Berkshire’s recent underwhelming performance against the S&P 500 is beginning to attract more attention. As Bloomberg notes, Berkshire’s annual weekend this past Saturday marked a three-year period where shares have climbed nearly 32 percent, lagging the S&P 500’s gain of about 60 percent.

Although gold investors may be considered “uncivilized” by some, even “jerks” need to diversify their portfolios and preserve wealth. Investing in productive businesses is worthy advice, but it is also hard to ignore the financial headwinds facing the global economy. In regards to individuals protecting their wealth from the printing-press, a Congressman from Nebraska years-ago once said, “The taxpayer is completely outmatched in such an unequal contest. Always heretofore he possessed an equalizer. If government finances weren’t run according to his idea of soundness, he had an individual right to protect himself by obtaining gold.” He continued to explain, “Also those elements here and abroad who are getting rich from the continued American inflation will oppose a return to sound money. You must be prepared to meet their opposition intelligently and vigorously.” The source of this insightful and cautionary quote comes from none other than Howard Buffett, Warren’s father.

For more analysis on our support levels and ranges for gold and silver, consider a free 14-day trial to our acclaimed Gold & Silver Investment Newsletter.

By Eric_McWhinnie

http://wallstcheatsheet.com

Wall St. Cheat Sheet : Only days after the S&P 500 crashed to the depths of hell at 666, the Hoffman brothers launched Wall St. Cheat Sheet: one of the fastest growing financial media sites on the web. Like a samurai, our mission is to cut through the bull and bear shit with extraordinary insights, a fresh voice, and razor-sharp wit. We provide the highest quality education and information for active investors, financial professionals, and entrepreneurs.

© 2012 Copyright Eric McWhinnie - All Rights Reserved
Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors


© 2005-2022 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.


Post Comment

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in