Categories: Smart Money Masters HotlinesStock Market News

Warren Buffett’s Hand Is Everywhere

U.S. and global stock markets closed a positive week, though upward momentum waned somewhat.

All of the major market indexes rose by less than 1%. The S&P 500 rose 0.33%, the Dow Jones jumped 0.70%, the Nasdaq recovered 0.98% and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index eked out a 0.74% gain.

Your Smart Money Masters portfolio had a good week.

Prem Watsa’s bet on BlackBerry (BB) jumped another 4.52%. Dan Loeb’s Baxter International (BAX) gained 3.58%. Restaurant Brands International (QSR) rose 3.16%. Wilbur Ross’ Navigator Holdings (NVGS) gained 1.80%.

Seven of your positions sport double-digit-percentage gains. PayPal Holdings (PYPL) is now up over 63%.

Restaurant Brands International (QSR) and BlackBerry (BB) are both up by about 30% since they were recommended.

Kraft Heinz (KHC), Liberty Broadband (LBRDK), The St. Joe Company (JOE) and Costco (COST) are all trading below their 50-day moving averages and are currently HOLDs.

Portfolio Update

Warren Buffett is a recurring theme in your Smart Money Masters.

I have always listed Restaurant Brands International (QSR) as an investment by Bill Ackman.

That’s because Ackman has an incredible 40.1% of his fund Pershing Square Capital Management invested in the company’s stock.

Here’s what I have not yet highlighted. While private equity firm 3G Capital is the largest shareholder, owning 42.5% of the shares, the second-largest shareholder, owning 11.6% of QSR, is National Indemnity.

National Indemnity itself is a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B).

Once you look through the ownership structure, together, 3G and Berkshire own about 54% of QSR. That means that 3G and Berkshire effectively control the entire company.

Exclusive Return of the Real

Indeed, Warren Buffett’s hand is everywhere.

Sincerely,

Nicholas A. Vardy

Nicholas Vardy

Nicholas Vardy has a unique background that has proven his knack for making money in different markets around the world. He was the Editor of The Global Guru, a free weekly e-newsletter, and also edited the trading services Momentum Trader Alert, which focused on making short-term profits in the hottest markets in the world, and The Alpha Algorithm, which was designed specifically to deliver big, fast triple-digit winners, month after month. He was also the editor of Smart Money Masters, a monthly service focused on longer term investments recommended by the brightest minds in the business. Mr. Vardy has been a regular commentator on CNN International and the Fox Business Network. He has also published articles in The New Republic, The World and I, and The Baker & McKenzie Legal Review. The Global Guru/Nicholas Vardy has been cited in The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Fox Business News, CBS MarketWatch, Yahoo! Finance, and MSN Money Central. Mr. Vardy graduated from Stanford with a B.A. — with honors and distinction — in both Economics and History, and he also earned an M.A in Modern European Intellectual History. After winning a Fulbright Scholarship, he earned a J.D. degree at Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard International Law Journal. When not uncovering investment opportunities for his subscribers and investors, Mr. Vardy is a keep-fit enthusiast and an avid student of classical music.