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Berkshire CEO Greg Abel vows to keep Buffett’s culture of disciplined investing in first annual letter

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Berkshire CEO Greg Abel vows to keep Buffett's culture of disciplined investing in first annual letter

Greg Abel speaks during the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 3, 2025.

CNBC

Berkshire Hathaway‘s Greg Abel used his first annual shareholder letter as chief executive to reassure investors that the conglomerate’s culture of financial conservatism and disciplined investing established under Warren Buffett will continue “into perpetuity.”

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“I am honored by our Board’s decision to appoint me CEO of Berkshire and humbled to succeed Warren as I write my first annual letter to you,” Abel wrote in the missive to begin the company’s annual report released Saturday along with Berkshire’s quarterly earnings. “Warren is obviously a very hard act to follow.”

Abel, 63, signaled continuity rather than change as he takes the reins from the 95-year-old Buffett, who stepped down as CEO at the start of 2026 and remains chairman. The new CEO laid out a clear framework of foundational values for how he intends to keep running the conglomerate: to preserve its financial strength and maintain strict capital discipline.

“We maintain a fortress-like balance sheet, ensuring Berkshire’s foundation is never compromised,” he wrote. “We preserve this financial strength by using debt sparingly and prudently. Our substantial liquidity enables us to meet our obligations even under the most adverse conditions and to respond swiftly when opportunities arise.”

Other values he highlighted included a decentralized management model and “reputation for integrity.”

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Berkshire’s cash pile stood at $373.3 billion at the end of 2025. Abel described the mountain of cash as strategic dry powder, which allows the company to act decisively when opportunities surface without jeopardizing resilience. Abel also used the letter to push back on any notion that the sizable cash position signified that Berkshire was retreating from investing.

But Abel noted he will continue Berkshire’s long-standing resistance to paying a dividend.

“Our approach to cash dividends continues to be that Berkshire will not pay dividends so long as more than one dollar of market value for shareholders is reasonably likely to be created by each dollar of retained earnings,” Abel wrote, adding that the board reviews the policy annually.

Overseeing stock portfolio

Abel emphasized that Berkshire applies the same disciplined framework whether it is acquiring an entire business, buying shares of a public company or repurchasing its own stock.

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“We will assess value carefully, act patiently, and hold for the long term — preferably forever,” he wrote.

He added that Berkshire’s equity portfolio will remains concentrated in a small group of American companies, including Apple, American Express, Coca-Cola and Moody’s. Abel said the concentrated approach will continue, with limited trading activity, though Berkshire would “significantly adjust” a position if long-term economic prospects change.

Abel also settled a key question hanging over the leadership transition: he will directly oversee the equity portfolio. Ted Weschler will continue to manage about 6% of the portfolio, including investments previously overseen by Todd Combs, an investment manager and Geico CEO who left for JPMorgan recently.

“At Berkshire, equity investments are fundamental to our capital allocation activities; responsibility ultimately resides with me as CEO,” Abel wrote.

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Long-term commitment

Abel has been known internally as a hands-on operator with a deep bench of subsidiary CEOs reporting to him. The Canadian executive, born in Edmonton, Alberta, has a 25-year tenure at Berkshire under his belt. Abel joined Berkshire in 2000 when the conglomerate bought MidAmerican Energy, where he eventually became the CEO in 2008. Prior to that, Abel worked at CalEnergy where he transformed the small geothermal firm into a diversified energy business.

He underscored that he views the role as a long-term commitment as he intends to steward Berkshire for decades.

“Our owners’ time horizon extends beyond the tenure of any individual CEO,” he wrote. “I will not be your CEO for the next 60 years as simple arithmetic makes that – shall we say – an ambitious plan. However, 20 years from now, when I will have just a fraction of the tenure that Warren had, my intention is that you – or your descendants – will be proud that your company is even stronger.”

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Crypto World

Bitcoin Halts Gains as US-Iran War, Hormuz Closure Make a Comeback

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Bitcoin Halts Gains as US-Iran War, Hormuz Closure Make a Comeback

Bitcoin foreshadows fresh market mayhem as it appears that the US-Iran war has returned, including the closure of the Strait of Hormuz oil route.

Bitcoin (BTC) sought to protect $75,000 into Sunday’s weekly close as crypto surfed fresh uncertainty over the US-Iran war.

Key points:

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  • Bitcoin price action sinks from ten-week highs amid fears that the US-Iran war has returned in full force.

  • Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, bringing back the risk of an oil-price surge.

  • BTC price action faces ongoing resistance at a 21-week trend line into the weekly close.

Bitcoin abandons highs as US-Iran war fears return

Data from TradingView showed BTC price pressure reentering after a trip to ten-week highs of $78,400 on Friday.

BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Mixed signals from US and Iranian sources characterized the weekend, with an assumed ceasefire and mutual agreements between the two sides now seemingly undone.

Among the latest developments was the repeat closure of the Strait of Hormuz, putting the focus on oil futures on the day. News of a ceasefire had sent WTI crude below $80 per barrel for the first time since March 10.

“We expect an eventful Sunday ahead,” trading resource The Kobeissi Letter summarized in ongoing analysis on X.

CFDs on WTI crude oil one-day chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

As BTC/USD circled local highs, and sentiment with it, market participants stayed cautious. Trading resource Material Indicators noted that the entire market mood could flip on relatively little input, such as a social media post.

“Sentiment is overwhelmingly bullish at the moment, but that could change with one Tweet in the coming days. Know your invalidations,” it told X followers.

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Data from CoinGlass showed long positions coming under fire during the BTC price retracement, with total crypto liquidations at $260 million over the past 24 hours.

Crypto seven-day liquidation history (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass

BTC price capped by resistance trend line

Continuing, trader Daan Crypto Trades eyed a potential gap in CME Group’s Bitcoin futures market opening as a result of the weekend comedown.

Related: Bitcoin can grow ‘probably a lot bigger’ than $30T+ gold market — Analysis

As Cointelegraph reported, such gaps often act as short-term price magnets when the new week begins.

“It’s going to be interesting to see the futures open today and how $OIL will react to the recent headlines regarding the strait,” he added.

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BTC/USDT 15-minute chart. Source: Daan Crypto Trades/X

Looking at the weekly close, trader and analyst Rekt Capital placed importance on Bitcoin’s 21-week exponential moving average (EMA) near $78,900.

“Bitcoin is rejecting from the 21-week EMA (green),” he observed alongside the weekly chart. 

“It is this rejection that could force a post-breakout retest of the top of the Double Bottom (~$73k) next week, provided Bitcoin Weekly Closes just like this.”

BTC/USD one-week chart. Source: Rekt Capital/X