Warren Buffett says these businesses do the best during periods of high inflation

From used cars to gas to groceries, inflation continues raise the price of goods in the U.S. The consumer price index — which measures how much consumers pay for an assortment of products — jumped 5.4% last month from where it was in July 2020, matching its biggest jump since 2008. Though some economists and other financial experts say that the current rate of inflation is nothing to worry about, inflation has become virtually impossible to avoid. But when it comes to investing, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett says there are some businesses that are more likely to succeed than others.

At the 2015 annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, Buffett was asked which of his company’s holdings were best poised to thrive during a period of high inflation. Buffett’s response: The best business to own is one that doesn’t require continuous reinvestment because it becomes more and more expensive as the value of a dollar drops.

“The best businesses during inflation are the businesses that you buy once and then you don’t have to keep making capital investments subsequently,” Buffett said, adding that “any business with heavy capital investment tends to be a poor business to be in in inflation and often it’s a poor business to be in generally.”

Businesses like utilities or railroads “keep eating up more and more money” and aren’t as profitable, he explained. He prefers to own companies that people have a connection to. Instead, “a brand is a wonderful thing to own during inflation,” Buffett said. For him, that includes brands like See’s Candy, which he’s owned since 1972.

Warren Buffett says these businesses do the best during periods of high inflation, CNBC, Aug 20