In Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting earlier this month, the company reported nearly US$50 billion in net losses. Most of it is paper loss was due to the devaluation of several companies in Berkshire’s portfolio. However, the company’s operating earnings improved by US$5.87 billion — a metric that, according to Buffett, offers a better outlook of his company’s quarterly performance.
What went wrong, and what can we learn from it? When you look for wisdom in a great person’s actions, life, and decisions, you don’t just look at their success; you analyze the failures as well. And one of the major failures this time for Buffett has been his decision to invest in airlines — a business that he didn’t really care about up until four years ago.
What should we learn
Warren Buffett’s loss isn’t the only event this year, which investors can learn something from. The pandemic-driven market crash has taught the market and investors a lot of important lessons. For example, no matter how smart you are at picking stocks, you can’t predict the future with certainty. And that unprecedented events force the market to move in unexpected ways.
So, if we can’t completely shake away the inherent risk associated with investing in stocks, what can we do? One answer to this is diversification. For large-cap investors, diversification usually entails different asset classes, like balancing stocks with gold, bonds, and lands. But for most retail investors with limited resources, investing in stocks is usually the most viable option to grow their wealth.
So, diversifying your stock investment portfolio is one way you can stay afloat, even when the market crash. And that requires picking stocks from different sectors and balancing your portfolio in terms of growth and dividend-based income. For example, airline stocks have hit rock bottom, but few software/tech stocks are soaring higher than ever. A portfolio with an equal weighting of both might see a balanced overall valuation.
Low-risk option
Power and utilities have traditionally been one of the most stable sectors, even through market crashes. Because even in the worst economic conditions, everybody needs utilities. One amazing stock from this sector is Algonquin Power & Utilities, a decade-old Dividend Aristocrat that focuses on clean energy facilities and has a stake in over 35 wind, solar, hydroelectric, and thermal power-generation facilities.
Through its Liberty Utilities division, the company provides water, gas, and electricity to over 750,000 customers in the United States. As a stock, it offers substantial capital growth as well as lucrative dividends. The current yield is a juicy 4.12%, and the company has increased its dividends by 46% in the last five years. It increased its share price by about 98.5% in the past five years and has already recovered from the slump.
Foolish takeaway
What we have learned from Buffett’s loss and the market crash, in general, is that nothing is inherently infallible. Algonquin is a very safe investment option. Not only is it a utility stock, but its focus on clean energy reflects that it’s well positioned for the future as well. But even companies like this might be disrupted if there is a breakthrough in, say, fusion power.
So, when you diversify your portfolio, make sure to do it as thoroughly as possible. You can’t plan for every eventuality, and too much diversification can result in stunted growth of your portfolio. But you will have to walk the fine line between risk and growth if you want your portfolio to live through future market crashes.
