Seattle — Warren Buffett’s career is filled with splashy takeovers that cost billions — as in $10bn or $20bn or $30bn. But $100bn? Even for Buffett, that would be an awful lot of money. Yet, that is now the buzz among some investors, analysts and Buffett fans. There are no signs that anything is on the immediate horizon, but they cannot resist fixating on the record amount of cash piling up at Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway — conceivably enough to manage a transaction with a 12-figure price tag. That would put a takeover of, say, Nike or Costco Wholesale in range, to cite examples of companies that might appeal to Buffett’s tastes. "A $100bn deal seems possible" given the cash on hand, said Richard Cook, an investment manager in Birmingham, Alabama, whose fund holds Berkshire shares. It is a tantalising proposition as thousands of investors prepare to gather on May 6 for the company’s annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. Even at 86 years old, Buffett is eager to show his fans that his e...
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