Ray Dalio says Treasurys are risky, and stocks are a better bet here
Billionaire investor Ray Dalio thinks U.S. government bonds are becoming risky as the country falls deeper into its debt crisis. “I think it’s a very risky investment,” Dalio said Monday on CNBC’s ” Squawk on the Street ” when asked about Treasurys. “The risk is not measured in whether you pay back. Their only obligation is to give you money that they can print. History has shown repeatedly that when you are in that position where governments can’t pay back, but their obligation is to pay back [what] the printing press can produce.” The founder of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, said debt service payments on Treasurys are increasingly encroaching on government spending. Meanwhile, a rapid rise in interest rates has led to big losses at institutions, including the Federal Reserve, he said. “The Federal Reserve’s losses are largely due to holding bonds that are gone down in value therefore lost money and funding with an interest rate that’s too high,” Dalio said. Another factor is potential sanctions against foreign countries for buying Treasurys, the widely followed investor said. “Other countries still are increasingly feeling worried about sanctions,” Dalio said. “If you get them to sell the bonds, then it’s a real problem. So, because that means either interest rates go up a lot more central banks have to come in and print a lot. That’s the thing that we have to be wary of.” In such an environment, equities tend to do better than government bonds, Dalio said. He recalled that in the 197,1 when President Richard Nixon ended dollar convertibility to gold, the stock market rallied. “The valuations of money, the printing of money and so on supported equity market relative to a bond market. It devalues money,” Dalio said. The S & P 500 has risen more than 12% this year, back above 4,300, near its highest level since August. .SPX YTD mountain SPX in 2023