Buffett: $5bn Goldman stake was bet on US economy

clock

Warren Buffett's $5bn investment in Goldman Sachs after the Lehman Brothers collapsed was a ‘wager' to allow the Federal Reserve to take on debt and prop up the economic recovery.

According to Bloomberg, Buffett says the investment was "essentially a bet" on the US economy, in an interview released today by the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission. Buffett adds he was confident the US had strong government officials in place to lead the US out of recession. "It was a bet essentially on the fact the government would not really shirk its responsibility at a time like that to leverage up at a time when the rest of the world was trying to deleverage," says Buffett. "I made the fundamental decision we had the right people in Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke a...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Investment

Decoding the conflicting investment advice of Warren Buffett

Decoding the conflicting investment advice of Warren Buffett

'He leaves us with a wealth of opinion and information about markets and investing'

Laith Khalaf
clock 09 December 2025 • 5 min read
Private assets in wealth management: The time for talking is over

Private assets in wealth management: The time for talking is over

'The first barrier to adoption is accessibility through existing infrastructure'

Russell Andrews
clock 08 December 2025 • 4 min read
China: Beyond trade tensions and tariffs

China: Beyond trade tensions and tariffs

'So what do you think about China?'

Gabriel Sacks
clock 05 December 2025 • 4 min read