- Warren Buffett prefers to invest in companies which operate in fairly stable and certain environments. Technology sector is the last place to look for certainty.
- He values certainty of returns more than the potentially huge but risky returns.
- He believes predicting the economics of the fast paced technology sector is far beyond his competency, probably a strong reason for his avoidance of the sector.
Warren Buffett has often been in the news for avoiding investments in
the technology sector, which has been viewed by many investors as a
highly lucrative sector. The Oracle of Omaha has his reasons for this
approach. We look into reasons for his avoidance of the hot stocks.
Warren Buffett has historically preferred investments in sectors or
companies which are unlikely to experience major changes. In his 1996
letter to shareholders he stated,
“We are searching for operations that we believe are virtually certain to possess enormous competitive strength ten or twenty years from now. A fast-changing industry environment may offer the chance for huge wins, but it precludes the certainty we seek.”
Warren Buffett loves to have certain but stable returns over
potentially huge but risky returns. In the same letter he also states:
“Obviously many companies in high-tech businesses or embryonic industries will grow much faster in percentage terms than will the inevitables. But I would rather be certain of a good result than hopeful of a great one.”
It shouldn’t be assumed that Mr. Buffett despises change. He is only
averse to change when evaluating as an investor. In his own words:
“Charlie and I welcome change: Fresh ideas, new products, innovative processes and the like cause our country's standard of living to rise, and that's clearly good. As investors, however, our reaction to a fermenting industry is much like our attitude toward space exploration: We applaud the endeavor but prefer to skip the ride.”
In his 1999 letter to Shareholder’s Mr. Buffett highlights the fact
that he and his partner Charlie prefer to operate within their level of
competence and identifying a durable competitive advantage in the
technology space is beyond their combined expertise. In Buffett’s words,
“Our problem -- which we can't solve by studying up -- is that we have no insights into which participants in the tech field possess a truly durable competitive advantage. Our lack of tech insights, we should add, does not distress us. After all, there are a great many business areas in which Charlie and I have no special capital-allocation expertise. If we have a strength, it is in recognizing when we are operating well within our circle of competence and when we are approaching the perimeter. Predicting the long-term economics of companies that operate in fast-changing industries is simply far beyond our perimeter.”
Has Warren Buffett’s stay out of the technology sector impacted the
returns of his investments? Well let’s look at the numbers over the last
two decades. The chart below compares the 20 year CAGR of the S&P
500, Berkshire Hathway’s (NYSE:BRK.A) book value per share and Berkshire Hathway’s Market value per share.
20 year CAGR in S&P 500 and Berkshire Hathaway share price and book value
Berkshire’s book value per share has grown at a CAGR of 14.6% over
the last 20 years (1993-2013) while the Market price per share has grown
at a CAGR of 12.7%. This growth has solidly beaten the S&P 500’s 20
year CAGR of 7.1%. It is clearly seen that Buffett’s decision to stay
away from the technology world hasn’t hindered the performance of his
investments. And what is the secret of the Oracle of Omaha?
Warren Buffett has this great quality which investors often call
‘Discipline.’ It is clearly evident in his avoidance of the technology
sector, even during the boom of late 1990’s, when every other person was
investing to set up a business which had something to do with internet.
Though in hindsight Buffett had the last laugh, non-entry into what
appeared to be a highly lucrative sector is a proof of the Oracle’s
discipline. There are notable exceptions in the technology world, where
stocks like Apple & Google have created tremendous value and returns
for shareholders. Apple stock price has grown at a 10 year CAGR of
36.7% while Google stock has grown at a 10 year CAGR of 27%. While
critics could view these as Buffett’s big misses, we view it as a proof
of his disciplined approach to investing. Sticking to your rules is hard
to do and that is something every wannabe successful investor needs to
learn from the Oracle of Omaha.
In conclusion, Warren Buffett side stepped the tech boom for the
following reasons: Buffett was uncomfortable investing in companies
operating in rapidly changing environments; He could never find the
competitive edge in any technology companies that he felt was durable;
and as he admitted, forecasting the long term business economics of
internet companies was beyond his competency.
We at Amigobulls live in the exciting world of technology stocks.
While we salute the Oracle of Omaha for his discipline and wisdom, we
will continue to make our humble attempts to apply his principles in the
technology sector and pick value stocks from this sector. We invite our
readers to let us know their experiences with technology stocks. Happy
investing with Amigobulls.
Source: http://amigobulls.com/articles/why-does-warren-buffett-avoid-technology-stocks
