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Current DateTime: 09:29:34 15 Nov 2009
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Warren Buffett Watch

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Dec.11
7:49 PM ET
Tuesday, 11 Dec 2007
Warren Buffett to CNBC: Fed Rate Moves Shouldn't Matter to Long-Term Investors

Warren Buffett in San Francisco Graphic

Warren Buffett did a taped interview in San Francisco with CNBC's Becky Quick last night.  Buffett is in that city for today's fund-raiser on behalf of Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential bid.

UPDATE: IN A LIVE INTERVIEW ON CNBC THIS MORNING, BUFFETT TELLS BECKY HE SEES "ENORMOUS DIVERGENCE" AHEAD FOR FINANCIALS

Becky showed some excerpts from her taped chat on Squawk Box earlier today.


In this clip, she asks for Buffett's thoughts on today's upcoming Federal Reserve decision on interest rates:

Becky:  We have a Fed decision coming up on Tuesday.  I've asked you a lot of times what you think about the Fed decisions in the past, but there are two camps:  one that thinks 25 basis points (rate cut), one that thinks 50 basis points (rate cut).  Are you putting your money in either one of those camps?

Buffett: No, I don't put my money on Fed decisions.  I've never bought a stock or sold a stock, I've never bought a business or sold a business, based on what the Fed's going to do.  And if (Federal Reserve Chairman) Ben Bernanke whispered in my ear exactly what he's going to do tomorrow, it wouldn't change anything I'm going to do today.

Becky:  That's not to say you don't pay attention to what the Fed's looking at and what they're thinking?

Buffett: Well, I read about it.  But in terms of making stock decisions, I mean, if we bought Coca-Cola in 1988 at a tenth of the present price, I don't know what the Fed was doing then.  If we bought Washington Post in 1973 at one one-hundredth of the present price, I don't know what the Fed was doing then.  It really, to an investor, it should not make a difference.

Of course, Buffett's indifference to the Fed is no surprise, given his famously long-term value-oriented investing strategy.  (He also said pretty much the same thing to us when the Fed met in September.)

This video clip also includes Joe Kernen's rant against Buffett's call for the nation's estate tax to be retained.

Questions?  Comments?  Email me at


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