For each dark cloud, there is a silver lining. Unfortunately, silver linings are often quite elusive.

Warren Buffett, the intrepid octogenarian billionaire investor, is incredibly skilled at finding silver linings, and has made a fortune when others have cowered in fear of the darkest of clouds. He explained his philosophy best in a 2004 letter to shareholders (link opens PDF) of Berkshire Hathaway:

"Investors should remember that excitement and expenses are their enemies. And if they insist on trying to time their participation in equities, they should try to be fearful when others are greedy and greedy only when others are fearful."

This year has been no exception for the keen investor. In the three months to June 30, Berkshire purchased $3.62 billion of stock, its biggest buying binge since it bought $3.94 billion in the third quarter of 2008, according to a recent SEC filing (via Bloomberg).

"He's gotta put the cash to work somewhere ... We've seen the market pull back, and this is the environment he likes to make investments in," Tom Lewandowski of Edward Jones & Co. told Bloomberg.

And despite losing around $1.6 billion the week of the U.S. credit downgrade, Buffett is still busy sniffing out good deals.

"Transatlantic Holdings said yesterday that Berkshire offered about $3.25 billion in a bid to break up the New York- based reinsurer's deal to merge with Allied World Assurance Company Holdings AG. The equity market rout helped push down the value of Allied's all-stock bid by about 13 percent from the last trading day before the June announcement through Aug. 5," writes Andrew Frye of Bloomberg.

In a recent interview, Buffett indicated that he believes the U.S. will probably avoid a recession this year, despite the currently dour market sentiment (via Bloomberg).

Does Buffett know something the rest of us don't? Probably (especially if you believe that wisdom comes with age). But here's what we do know -- Berkshire Hathaway's top holdings as of the end of March, 2011 (its most recent SEC 13-F filing). Begin your investigation into Mr. Buffett's strategy here.

List sorted by market value of the investment as a percentage of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio. (Click here to access free, interactive tools to analyze these ideas.)

1. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO): Soft Drinks industry with a market cap of $149.52B. KO comprised 24.75% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are up 17.38% over the past 12 months.

2. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC): Money Center Banks industry with a market cap of $121.28B. WFC comprised 20.27% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are down 17.81% over the past 12 months.

3. American Express (NYSE: AXP): Mortgage Investment industry with a market cap of $51.38B. AXP comprised 12.78% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are flat over the past 12 months.

4. Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG): Mortgage Investment industry with a market cap of $51.38B. AXP comprised 12.78% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are flat over the past 12 months.

5. Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT): Major Diversified Food industry with a market cap of $59.26B. KFT comprised 6.16% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are up 14.97% over the past 12 months.

6. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ): Major Drug Manufacturers industry with a market cap of $167.54B. JNJ comprised 4.71% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are up 5.47% over the past 12 months.

7. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP): Major Integrated Oil & Gas industry with a market cap of $85.02B. COP comprised 4.34% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are up 12.73% over the past 12 months.

8. Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT): Discount, Variety Stores industry with a market cap of $169.88B. WMT comprised 3.79% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are down 3.17% over the past 12 months.

9. US Bancorp (NYSE: USB): Midwest Regional Banks industry with a market cap of $41.6B. USB comprised 3.40% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are down 7.38% over the past 12 months.

10. Moody's (NYSE: MCO): Business Services industry with a market cap of $6.82B. MCO comprised 1.80% of Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio as of March 31, 2011. Share prices are up 28.12% over the past 12 months.

Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the stocks mentioned above. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.


Kapitall's Andrew Dominguez does not own any of the shares mentioned above. Data sourced from Finviz and Whale Wisdom.