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Warren Buffett has gone on $16b spending spree since Donald Trump won election

Warren Buffett added to his stock portfolio at Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in a big way after November 8.

"We've, net, bought $US12 billion ($15.9 billion)  of common stocks since the election," he said in an interview with Charlie Rose that aired on Friday. Buffett didn't identify the securities that he picked.

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Purchases of that magnitude represent a major pickup in activity for Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire. During the first nine months of last year, the company bought $US5.2 billion and sold or redeemed roughly $US20 billion worth of stocks, according to a regulatory filing. In 2015, Berkshire bought about $US10 billion of equity securities.

Stocks rallied after Donald Trump was elected US president in November, as investors speculated that the Republican's policies will stimulate the economy. That sentiment cooled some on Monday after the turbulent rollout of an immigration order raised concern that the new administration may follow through with isolationist policies, overshadowing a pro-growth agenda.

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Buffett told Rose he was sceptical that the US could increase output at a 4 per cent annual clip, as the president has said he's aiming to achieve.

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"That's pretty high," Buffett said. "Two per cent will produce miracles."

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Rose asked if Buffett's most-recent purchases included airlines. Buffett ducked the question, saying only that Berkshire held stakes in airlines as of September 30.

In November, Berkshire disclosed that it held in American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Continental Holdings at the end of the third quarter. The billionaire said that month that Berkshire also bought a stake in Southwest Airlines since September 30.

Buffett told Rose he wouldn't get into why Berkshire bought the shares, but said that it was "in large part" his decision.

The investments have been a curiosity to Buffett's followers, since the billionaire has been critical of the airline industry for years. In a letter to shareholders in 2008, for instance, he wrote that a "farsighted capitalist" should have shot Orville Wright down at Kitty Hawk to spare investors all the money that would be lost on airlines in the decades after the birth of flight.

On Monday, US airlines tumbled as concerns mounted that Trump's ban on travel from seven predominantly Muslim nations will lead to more restrictions on flights.

Buffett supported Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. He has long said he's confident in the US economy's long-term prospects no matter who wins an individual election.

Filings detailing Berkshire's stock holdings at the end of December aren't due until next month. As of September 30, the company had an equity portfolio valued at $US102.5 billion.

Bloomberg