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Berkshire Hathaway Cash Reserves Hit Record $397 Billion in First Quarter

According to the company, cash rose as Berkshire Hathaway sold $8.1 billion more in stocks than it bought, while its fixed-income portfolio reached $17.669 billion at quarter-end.

Fact Check
Two independent X posts from May 2, 2026 (@WOLF_Financial and @AShmueil) and the PANews article all confirm Berkshire Hathaway's Q1 2026 cash reserves reached $397.4 billion, a new all-time record. The claim's figure of $397 billion is a rounding of the confirmed $397.4 billion. The $8.1 billion net stock sales figure is corroborated by the KobeissiLetter post. The fixed-income portfolio figure of $17.669 billion is consistent with the PANews source. The one discrepancy is the KobeissiLetter post citing $380 billion, which may reflect an earlier estimate or a different definition of cash. The weight of evidence strongly supports the $397 billion figure. The claim is assessed as likely true.
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Summary

Berkshire Hathaway’s cash reserves rose to a record $397 billion in the first quarter under CEO Greg Abel. The increase followed net stock sales of $8.1 billion during the quarter. At the end of Q1 2026, Berkshire’s fixed-income securities portfolio had a fair value of $17.669 billion, highlighting the company’s continued emphasis on liquidity and large cash holdings.

Terms & Concepts
  • Cash reserves: Money held by a company to support operations, investments, and financial flexibility.
  • Fixed-income securities: Debt investments such as bonds that generate interest income and return principal at maturity.
  • Net seller: An investor or company that sells more assets than it buys over a period.