Warren Buffett was wrong about a 'rat poison' Bitcoin portfolio, data shows

cointelegraph.com:

Legendary investor Warren Buffett sees no value in Bitcoin (BTC), infamously calling it "rat poison squared." But data shows that adding Bitcoin to a so-called "Rat Poison Portfolio," an equally weighted portfolio of Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, JPMorgan, and BlackRock stocks, would have produced much better returns for The Oracle of Omaha.

Since 2014, allocating only 2.5% Bitcoin yearly to the "Rat Poison Portfolio" increases returns by nearly 20% with reduced risks, according to independent market analyst Alpha Zeta. For now, the portfolio's returns stand around 16%.

Despite Bitcoin's notorious price volatility, Alpha Zeta noted that BTC's correlation with the stocks of Berkshire Hathaway, Microsoft, JP Morgan, and BlackRock is very low.

For instance, during the 2021-2023 bear market, allocating Bitcoin to the Rat Poison Portfolio could have negated losses by around 10%.

In other words, BTC typically negates losses imposed by the downside movements in the said stocks. Therefore, allocating a small portion of Bitcoin to the Rat Poison Portfolio has proven to be a reasonable hedging strategy to offset potential negative returns.

Bitcoin's proponents have projected it as an alternative to traditional safe-haven assets like gold, given the scarcity that comes with its fixed 21 million BTC supply and increasing deflation over time.

This has attracted many people to buy Bitcoin as a way of offsetting fiat debasement and excessive money printing of central banks around the world. For instance, the number of non-zero Bitcoin addresses has grown from around 2,500 in 2009 to over 45 million in 2023, per Glassnode.

Nonetheless, Buffett believes Bitcoin recently said that Bitcoin is a gambling token, noting that "it doesn't have any