The Blubber

Warren Buffett reassured attendees in Omaha on Saturday that the recent turbulence in the stock market is no cause for alarm.

Speaking at Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders meeting, Buffett made his stance clear: “What has happened in the last 30, 45 days… is really nothing.” He downplayed the recent market volatility that has unsettled traders and left analysts scrambling for explanations.

Buffett pointed out that Berkshire Hathaway shares have dropped by 50% three times over the past six decades—and in none of those instances was the company itself fundamentally flawed. He said the same logic applies now. “This has not been a dramatic bear market or anything of the sort,” he noted, unfazed.

Buffett urges investors to stay calm amid market jitters
According to the CNBC livestream of the event, Buffett emphasized that today’s market movements don’t compare to the severity of past downturns. He said many investors are simply letting their emotions run wild.

“If it makes a difference to you whether your stocks are down 15% or not, you need to get a somewhat different investment philosophy,” he advised. “The world is not going to adapt to you. You’re going to have to adapt to the world.”

To put things in perspective, Buffett shared a historical example: on the day he was born—August 30, 1930—the Dow Jones was around 240. It eventually sank to 41. Today, it’s over 41,000. “People have emotions,” he said, “but you’ve got to check them at the door when you invest.”

Investors shaken by Trump’s tariff policy
Investor unease had recently been fueled by former President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff stance, which sent markets into disarray last month. The S&P 500 even slipped into bear market territory on an intraday basis, falling over 20% from a recent peak.

But by Friday, the index had recovered, logging its longest winning streak since 2004. Buffett said none of this is new or alarming, especially when compared to prior downturns that were much more severe.

Buffett criticizes protectionist trade moves
Buffett also took aim at trade policy—without naming names—slamming the Trump administration’s use of tariffs. He argued the approach is misguided.

“Trade should not be a weapon,” he said to thousands of attendees in Omaha. “I do think that the more prosperous the rest of the world becomes, it won’t be at our expense. The more prosperous we’ll become, the safer we’ll feel, and your children will feel someday.”

He cautioned that tariffs “can be an act of war,” warning that they’re not only harmful economically, but also in terms of public sentiment. “Just the attitudes it’s brought out,” he added. Instead, he championed open trade based on mutual strengths.

“We should be looking to trade with the rest of the world, and we should do what we do best—and they should do what they do best.”

Earlier in the year, the U.S. had imposed tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese imports. China retaliated with tariffs of 125%. The standoff became so intense that the White House paused most of the planned hikes for 90 days—except those targeting China—while negotiations continued. Buffett wasn’t impressed by the posturing.