Berkshire Hathaway gains ground, but still trails the S&P 500 as '26 enters second half
Berkshire Hathaway has underperformed compared to the S&P 500 in the first half of 2026, despite a strong performance in June. The article also notes the presence of Berkshire executives at the Allen & Co. conference and Warren Buffett's concerns regarding AI-generated scams.
Why it matters
Berkshire Hathaway's market performance is a key indicator for global investors, and Buffett's warnings on AI highlight growing concerns regarding digital security.
(This is the Warren Buffett Watch newsletter, news and analysis on all things Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. You can sign up here to receive it every Friday evening in your inbox.)
With 2026 a bit more than half over, Berkshire Hathaway's B shares are down 1.8% year-to-date and 12.4 percentage points behind the S&P 500's 10.7% gain. (Including dividends, the S&P is up 11.4% giving it a 13.1 percentage point lead).
A strong June for Berkshire erased almost a third of its 17.5 percentage point deficit as of June 1, its biggest losing margin of the year so far.
Even with that June bump, however, it's been a tough Q2 (+ 10 days) for Berkshire with a gain of a bit more than 3% versus the benchmark's strong tech-driven 16% advance, totally erasing what was a slim 1.8 percentage point Berkshire lead at the end of March.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in