Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway offered billions of {dollars} value of inventory and invested little cash within the US fairness market within the first three months of the 12 months, because the famed investor noticed little attraction in a risky market.

Berkshire disclosed on Saturday that it had offered shares value $13.3bn within the first quarter and acquired shares for a fraction of that determine. As a substitute, it put $4.4bn in the direction of repurchasing its personal inventory, in addition to $2.9bn on the shares of different publicly traded companies.

The figures underscore the battle Berkshire faces in placing its mountain of money to work at a time when Buffett and his longtime right-hand man Charlie Munger regard valuations as unappetising. The corporate’s money pile has risen by $2bn because the begin of this 12 months to $130.6bn, its highest degree because the finish of 2021.

Munger final month instructed the Monetary Occasions that buyers ought to cut back their expectations for inventory market returns because the Federal Reserve raises rates of interest and the economic system slows.

Disclosures have proven that Berkshire elevated its stake in Occidental Petroleum in the course of the quarter, nevertheless buyers must wait till later in Might to see how the corporate shifted its portfolio.

Buffett declined to say whether or not the corporate had offered off its place in Activision Blizzard, which it guess closely on after Microsoft agreed to purchase the game-maker. Activision shares have tumbled since UK regulators moved to dam the takeover, throwing the arbitrage commerce made by Berkshire and a litany of hedge funds into turmoil.

Berkshire reported a revenue of $35.5bn within the first quarter, or $24,377 per class A share, largely pushed by a rally in shares that lifted the worth of its $328bn portfolio of shares. Revenue was up from $5.6bn a 12 months earlier than.

Working earnings — Buffett’s most well-liked efficiency measure for Berkshire’s numerous group of companies — rose 12.6 per cent from the 12 months earlier than to $8.1bn. For the primary time the determine contains the outcomes of truck cease enterprise Pilot Flying J, which Berkshire took majority management of in January.

The outcomes are sometimes scrutinised given the cross-section of the nation Berkshire’s dozens of companies contact, together with in vitality, logistics, housing and manufacturing.

Considered one of Berkshire’s crown jewels, the Geico auto insurer, swung to an underwriting revenue after six consecutive quarters of losses. The corporate mentioned that scaling again promoting and elevating coverage charges had helped the unit generate a $703mn underwriting revenue.

The influence of upper rates of interest and slower financial progress was evident throughout the companies, which span the Dairy Queen ice cream purveyor, aeroplane components producer Precision Castparts and the BNSF railroad.

Berkshire warned decrease residence gross sales continued to weigh on Clayton Properties, one of many largest makers of modular houses within the US, and that gross sales throughout its different housing companies had fallen at the beginning of the 12 months. Visitors on its BNSF railroad additionally fell at the beginning of the 12 months, which the corporate blamed on decrease imports from the west coast and the lack of a buyer.

Larger rates of interest, nevertheless, have additionally been a boon to Berkshire. The corporate invests the overwhelming majority of its $130.6bn of money in short-term Treasury payments and financial institution deposits.

Earnings on these short-term payments and cash-like deposits surged to $1.1bn, up from $164mn a 12 months prior.

The figures had been launched simply hours earlier than Buffett and three different Berkshire executives took the stage in downtown Omaha, the place tens of 1000’s of shareholders have gathered for the corporate’s annual assembly.

Shareholders heard the 92-year-old billionaire and his vice-chairs Munger, Gregory Abel and Ajit Jain focus on synthetic intelligence and its results on the funding world, Berkshire’s funding in Apple and succession on the firm.

Buffett was pressed for his views on the well being of the US banking system, which is within the midst of disaster. The billionaire investor mentioned Berkshire had grown extra cautious about investing within the business given the speedy deposit flight some banks have suffered.

It’s a change from earlier crises, when Berkshire’s capital helped shore up each Goldman Sachs and Financial institution of America. The latter is now a core holding within the firm’s inventory portfolio.

Berkshire inventory has risen by 4.9 per cent because the begin of the 12 months.