The Bank of Buffett

As reported in a recent Bloomberg article, Warren Buffett's telephone has been ringing off the hook. As the credit markets seize-up, more distressed sellers are looking to Omaha as the last source for funding. As mentioned in the article, "Buffett right now is probably about the only money in the world, in the billions of dollars range, that the check will clear overnight." This has some analysts bullish on Berkshire Hathaway stock. Buffett is known as a value investor, and the market is certainly on sale right now. The combination of his deep pockets allowing him to buy just about whatever he wants, and his liquidity and reputation allowing him to set the terms, makes it likely that he will be able to add value to Berkshire. Of interest in the article is how the price of Berkshire stock has been rising as the TED spread (bank borrowing cost) has been increasing. As usual, market corrections have a way of separating the wheat from the chaff.