That conclusion is further supported by the fact that Berkshire had $277 billion in cash and U.S. Treasuries on its balance sheet as of the June quarter, another record for the company. Finally, Buffett repurchased a mere $345 million in Berkshire stock during the June quarter, which marks his smallest allocation to stock buybacks in six years.

Warren Buffett has never claimed to be able to predict what the stock market would do over the near term. In a 2008 op-ed for The New York Times, he wrote, "I can't predict the short-term movements of the stock market. I haven't the faintest idea as to whether stocks will be higher or lower a month, or a year, from now."

Warren Buffett's turn to cash indicates that now is not the best time for high equity exposure, David Einhorn wrote.