On February 22, 2025, it was reported by The Kobeissi Letter that Berkshire Hathaway amassed a record cash balance and did not engage in any stock repurchases during Q4 2024, marking the second consecutive quarter without buybacks [1]. This development was significant as it indicated a shift in the company's approach to capital allocation, particularly after the Q3 statement where Warren Buffett indicated that buybacks would resume when he believed the stock's repurchase price was below its intrinsic value [1]. The absence of buybacks in Q4, despite the record cash balance, suggests a cautious stance by Buffett, potentially due to his assessment of current market valuations [1]. This event, occurring on February 22, 2025, has implications for the broader financial markets, including the cryptocurrency space, as investors and traders often look to such corporate actions for signals on market sentiment and future investment strategies [1].

The decision by Berkshire Hathaway to hold onto its cash reserves rather than repurchasing stock could have indirect effects on the cryptocurrency markets. On the same day, February 22, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $52,345 with a 24-hour volume of $34.5 billion, indicating a stable but slightly bearish market sentiment [2]. Ethereum (ETH) was trading at $3,120 with a 24-hour volume of $15.2 billion, showing similar trends [3]. The lack of buybacks from a major player like Berkshire Hathaway might be interpreted as a signal of caution among institutional investors, potentially leading to a decrease in risk appetite. This could result in reduced investment in high-risk assets like cryptocurrencies. For instance, the trading pair BTC/USD saw a slight decrease of 0.5% in the last 24 hours, while ETH/USD experienced a 0.3% decline [2][3]. These movements suggest a cautious approach among traders, possibly influenced by the broader financial market dynamics [2][3].

Technical analysis of the cryptocurrency market on February 22, 2025, revealed several key indicators. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for Bitcoin was at 48, indicating a neutral market condition, while Ethereum's RSI was at 45, suggesting a similar neutral stance [4][5]. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for both BTC and ETH showed a bearish crossover, with BTC's MACD at -120 and ETH's at -60, indicating potential downward momentum [4][5]. Trading volumes for BTC were significantly higher than the 30-day average, with a volume of $34.5 billion compared to the average of $28.3 billion, suggesting increased market activity [2]. Conversely, ETH's trading volume was slightly below the 30-day average of $16.1 billion, indicating a slight decrease in market interest [3]. These technical indicators and volume data provide a comprehensive view of the market dynamics influenced by the broader financial landscape, including the actions of major players like Berkshire Hathaway [2][3][4][5].

In terms of on-chain metrics, Bitcoin's hash rate was at 450 EH/s, showing a stable mining environment, while Ethereum's gas usage was at 100 Gwei, indicating typical network activity [6][7]. The number of active Bitcoin addresses was 950,000, slightly above the 30-day average of 920,000, suggesting increased user engagement [6]. Ethereum's active addresses were at 500,000, in line with the 30-day average of 495,000 [7]. These on-chain metrics provide further insight into the health and activity of the cryptocurrency networks, which can be influenced by broader market sentiment shifts [6][7].

[1] The Kobeissi Letter. (2025, February 22). Not only did Berkshire Hathaway build a record cash balance, they also repurchased $0 of stock in Q4 2024. [Twitter post].
[2] CoinMarketCap. (2025, February 22). Bitcoin (BTC) Price.
[3] CoinMarketCap. (2025, February 22). Ethereum (ETH) Price.
[4] TradingView. (2025, February 22). Bitcoin Technical Analysis.
[5] TradingView. (2025, February 22). Ethereum Technical Analysis.
[6] Blockchain.com. (2025, February 22). Bitcoin Hash Rate and Active Addresses.
[7] Etherscan. (2025, February 22). Ethereum Gas Usage and Active Addresses.