While a $1 billion investment probably won't move the needle for Berkshire Hathaway, it's not insignificant. Capital deployed in a great long-term investment is better than capital sitting in Treasury bills. These are stocks that Berkshire could hold for a very long time, and retail investors could do that too.The reason for the small purchases is because Buffett's buying relatively small companies. Over the last four quarters, he's established a stake in Pool Corp (NASDAQ: POOL) worth $1.1 billion, and a s ...