Legendary investor Stanley Druckmiller spoke in a Bloomberg interview, where he covered diverse topics including selling Nvidia shares, the Federal Reserve cutting rates, tariffs, and who might win the US presidential election.
On the Fed:
- he expressed concerns about the Federal Reserve’s recent decision to cut interest rates by 50 basis points, comparing it to the policy mistakes made in 2021
- said that in 2021 the Fed had been “trapped by forward guidance”
- warned the same could happen again
- “Back then you go 13 months with inflation through the target… and you’re keeping rates at zero and you’re buying bonds like crazy.” He emphasized that the Fed’s inability to respond quickly enough to inflation pressures was a critical mistake
He then looked at the current macro environment, highlighting the disconnect between the Fed’s belief that monetary policy is restrictive and actual market conditions:
- “I’m a market animal. Frankly, we’ve found over the years that markets are better predictors than professors,”
- despite the Fed’s claims of tightening, the markets tell a different story, with “equities at a record high, gold at a record high, GDP above trend, credit tight, [and] bank earnings and forecasts look good.”
- Druckenmiller suggested that the financial landscape doesn’t reflect the restrictive conditions the central bank claims.
Druckenmiller noted that his firm shorted bonds following the Fed’s recent 50bp rate cut:
- “We shorted bonds the day the Fed cut 50 because we thought it was a mistake,”
- sees continued risks in the bond market
- remains wary of the long-term impacts of fiscal and monetary policies
- if inflation picks up again, it could have a severe impact on market stability
The full interview has been made available by Bloomberg, here is the link (20 minute video).