Warren Buffett told CNBC he’d buy this major US asset if ‘World War III’ ever hit — and even warned against holding cash. Do you own any of it?

If you think rising tensions could potentially spill over into World War III, you’re not alone. The vast majority of respondents in a Politico survey from the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the U.K. said a global war was more likely than not in the next five years (4).

“I think we’re uncomfortably close to [WW3],” Ben Rhodes, former deputy national security advisor to President Obama, told Wired magazine in a recent interview (5). Rhodes estimates we’re already two-thirds of the way to global war, with China’s potential invasion of Taiwan representing the final third.

Although the future is difficult to predict, many investors may not know how to react if a global conflict were to erupt. According to legendary investor Warren Buffett, the answer is surprisingly simple: “I will still be buying the stock,” he told CNBC during a 2014 interview, referring to the stock market (6).

Here’s why the Oracle of Omaha prefers his favorite asset class even during unprecedented times.

The productivity shield

In general, geopolitical tensions tend to reduce investors’ appetite for risk, which often pushes investors away from stocks and bonds, and toward assets such as gold and cash.

However, Buffett argues this is the wrong approach.

“You’re going to be a lot better off owning productive assets,” he explained. Buffett pointed out that the American stock market had risen during World War II, a clear sign that the value of productive businesses is durable enough to withstand the pressure from global conflict.

“In the five months following the attack on Pearl Harbor — which ushered in the United States’ involvement in World War II — the S&P 500 declined almost 17%,” states a Standard & Poor’s report published shortly after September 11, 2001 (7). “But by the time the war ended in 1945, the index had advanced 62% from its level on December 7, 1941.”

This remarkable endurance isn’t limited to just stocks. Farmland, real estate or any other asset class that generates a tangible return, Buffett believes, could be ideal for parking cash during global conflict.

To be fair, past performance is not exactly an indicator of future returns, and it’s difficult to know how stocks, real estate and other productive assets will behave during a hypothetical World War III.

That’s where Moby comes in.

The platform offers expert research and precise recommendations from a team of hand-picked former hedge fund analysts. These suggestions could help you navigate a particularly treacherous market.

Over the past four years, Moby’s team has delivered over 400 stock picks that have beaten the S&P 500’s performance by an average of roughly 12% annually. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.