Bob Prince, co-chief investment officer of the world’s biggest hedge fund at Bridgewater Associates, said an unusual combination of low interest rates and rising debt during the pandemic will “severely” limit potential growth rates in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Fiscal policy will remain the primary source of stimulus, fueling the risk that government debts become too high and leading to pressure on exchange rates, he said. These problems will be more acute outside of Asia.
“Global investors tend to be very Western-centric,” Prince said on Bloomberg TV. “The East is nothing like that. It’s not just China. A number of countries have done a much better job managing the virus without ballooning their fiscal deficits and printing money.”
Prince said his colleagues in China meet at the office without masks, whereas Bridgewater’s U.S. employees still work from home.
“That economy is much closer to normal and the pricing of assets is much closer to normal,” he said. “There’s a substantial divergence occurring economically between East and West. As investors, you shouldn’t let yourself get completely locked into the West.”
--With assistance from Jonathan Ferro.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.