Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, stated in a July 15 CNBC interview that it's challenging to find value in a market where "everybody is preferring gambling." He compared the current market to a casino floor, drawing a sharp distinction between investing based on underlying economics and speculating on rising prices.

His caution is supported by two valuation measures: the "Buffett indicator" (total U.S. stock market capitalization as a percentage of GDP) is near a record high of 238%, and the S&P 500 Shiller CAPE ratio is above 41, a level previously seen only during the dot-com bubble peak. Despite the high valuations, Berkshire Hathaway was a net buyer of stocks in Q2 2026, focusing on companies like Alphabet, which Buffett noted traded at a discount to the broader S&P 500.