Decoding insights from Warren Buffett

No Democrats backed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), and some 20 Republicans voted in opposition.

Buffett often calls on the United States to do more to help the working class and has said the tax system is tilted to benefit rich people like him, a point he pressed on Saturday.

Buffet also said that people should remain invested in strong businesses and that it was easier to invest in 1950 than today as there was less competition.

"Anybody with $250,000 a year of adjusted gross income and a lot of investment income is going to have a huge tax cut", the NPR quoted him as saying, on the Trump administration repealing Obamacare.

"I can very easily determine the competitive position of Apple now and who is trying to chase them", he said.

Buffett got what we asked for, although perhaps there does exist 'too much of a good thing.' Six years after purchasing the stake, Berkshire unloaded a third of it, nearly certainly receiving less than was paid, although dividends were collected over the holding period.

Warren Buffett has focused on building a reputation for honesty and trustworthiness.

Buffett is right that, for most of his stock-picking history, shareholders have likely been better off leaving their money in his care rather than siphoning the cash into their own accounts by way of dividends: Since 1965, Berkshire Hathaway stock has delivered annualized returns of almost 21%, more than double the S&P 500. The potential in India is incredible now, Buffett said.

As usual there was an terrible lot from the Berkshire Hathaway AGM in Omaha on the weekend.

Despite the earnings shortfall, Buffett's preferred measure of growth for Berkshire, book value per Class A share, or assets minus liabilities, rose 3.5 percent in the quarter to $178,073.

Since the market bottomed in early 2009, USA stocks have been steadily rising for more than eight years now, leaving anyone who has started their investing career in that time particularly susceptible to the risks of the next market downturn. He said the company had too much cash it could not reasonably deploy.

- On May 4, Warren Buffett said Berkshire Hathaway had sold about 25 million shares in International Business Machines. When Buffett toured the exhibit hall, he was surrounded by a pack of reporters, shareholders and security officers.

Apple, which Buffett scooped up past year, accounts for about 5.5% of Berkshire's portfolio. Berkshire, a conglomerate that wholly owns Geico Insurance and other assets, has seen its share price double over the past five years.

On CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday, Buffett said, "If I was forced to buy [Google-parent Alphabet] or short it, I'd buy it; same way with Amazon".

"It is a huge tax cut for guys like me", he told the audience.

Regulated utility units, for example, are not likely to enjoy lower tax rates as savings, in Buffett's view, would be passed on to customers. The first question he faced at the annual meeting was about the bank.

And in comments that suggested a change in Buffett's outlook on the technology sector, Buffett said he regretted not investing early in Google.

Buffett says he always urges Berkshire Hathaway employees to protect the company's reputation above all and avoid questionable behavior. Berkshire bought the BNSF railroad in 2010.

Apple Inc. has become one of Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire's largest holdings, valued at about $19.2 billion as of March 31.

"The parties hate each other so much, they both get quite irrational", Munger said.

One of the world's most successful and recognizable value investors of all time had some words of encouragement for struggling value investors this weekend. Buffett joked: "That's Charlie".

At Berkshire's annual meeting Saturday, Buffett is the celebrity that everyone wants to get close to. While Buffett met Mr Peanut at the Kraft Heinz booth, Miami Dolphin player Ndamukong Suh wandered about 1m away without a crowd.

Seventy-year-old Dave Mueller flew out from Denver, Colorado, for his fourth meeting because he loves hearing the 86-year-old Buffett and 93-year-old Munger talk. "We would like to own 100% of any business that we run".

Shareholder Jerry Meyer said the exhibits are a neat way to learn about Berkshire and boost investor enthusiasm.