Whenever the leading minds and funds on Wall Street take a significant view on the economy or their holdings, retail investors often benefit by reverse-engineering those decisions. Doing so can offer fresh insights into market safety and future upside. Today, that signal comes from none other than legendary value investor Warren Buffett.
The “Oracle of Omaha” is now reportedly holding $150 billion worth of US Treasury bonds—an amount that surpasses even the Federal Reserve’s current holdings. At first glance, such a move might appear bearish. After all, bonds are typically the safe haven of choice during uncertain times. But in Buffett’s case, this may actually signal he believes better opportunities could be on the horizon.
The Buffett Playbook: Patience, Not Panic
As a disciplined investor, Buffett may only stick to his process of holding cash (or bonds) when there are no screaming deals out in the market. Though after a recent fall in the S&P 500 index, this cash may be redeployed into some favorable valuations coming up, where beaten-down names in the consumer discretionary stocks in the retail space might be worth taking a look.
For retail investors, the key takeaway isn’t just that Buffett is holding bonds—it’s why he’s holding them. The lack of current market deals doesn’t mean there’s no future upside. Rather, it suggests a setup in progress—one worth watching closely.
Use Bond Yields to Make the “Waiting Room” Work for You
Right now, the US 10-year bond yield is hovering around 4.2-4.4%. This is called the “risk-free rate” for a reason. Investors can now lock in this inflation-beating yield for the future while they wait for other opportunities to become available.
There are instruments outside of bonds that can show the same benefit, such as the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (NASDAQ:TLT). This exchange-traded fund (ETF) offers a competitive yield and tends to show less price volatility due to its holdings in long-term maturities.
If investors need a bit more spice in their price action, they can look to shorter-duration plays like the SPDR Bloomberg Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (NYSE:BIL). Sporting a payout of as much as $4.45 per share, this ETF provides its shareholders an annualized dividend yield of as much as 4.85% today.
That’s one way to beat inflation, avoiding some of the buying power being eaten away while more attractive deals show up in the stock market.
What Buffett Can’t Buy—But You Can
The fact that Buffett now holds more bonds than the Fed itself may cause some investors to be scared of investing in equities. But here’s a key advantage for retail investors: scale.
Buffett’s size prevents him from investing in smaller-cap companies, which often bottom and rebound faster than their large-cap counterparts. And that’s where individual investors can get ahead.
By focusing on high-potential small- to mid-cap stocks that are off-limits for Buffett, retail traders can tap into opportunities that even the best-known investors must pass up—not because they’re unattractive, but because they’re too small to move the needle for massive portfolios.
Two compelling retail plays stand out:
Best Buy Stock: Income At a Discount
Shares of Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) are now trading at a low of 70% of their 52-week highs, and being a $15.3 billion company would make it a non-target for Buffett’s massive allocations. But that is what makes it a great option for retail traders seeking value.
Retail stocks like Best Buy now hold an advantage over non-store retailers like Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), which has eliminated its “try before you buy” policy. As such, Best Buy is poised to benefit from increased foot traffic and hands-on shopping experiences—which is why management is comfortable paying a 5.3% dividend yield and why Wall Street sees a 29.4% consensus upside potential in its price target for the company.
Abercrombie & Fitch: Risk to Reward Royale
Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) presents an even sharper risk-to-reward profile. Trading at only 39% of its 52-week high and boasting a $3.8 billion valuation, this apparel stock is well-positioned to bounce back as discretionary spending picks up.
Wall Street’s price target of $140.80 per share implies an upside of 83.8%—a compelling bet for patient investors. Cyclical names like Abercrombie are often the first to recover when market sentiment shifts, making them ripe for those willing to act ahead of the crowd.