‘We have handled recessions earlier than’: Jamie Dimon says geopolitics is the world’s greatest danger

JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon says geopolitics after Russia’s invasion in Ukraine is the most important danger, bigger than excessive inflation or a U.S. recession.

Global markets have taken a success over the previous week, because the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled that rates of interest will seemingly stay greater for longer, so as to convey inflation sustainably again right down to its 2% goal.

Speaking to CNBC TV-18 in India on Tuesday, Dimon mentioned folks ought to “be prepared for higher oil and gas prices, higher rates, as a matter of just being prepared,” however that the U.S. economic system will seemingly get by way of any turbulence. However, the struggle in Ukraine has polarized world powers and exhibits no signal of abating.

“I think the geopolitical situation is the thing that most concerns me, and we don’t know the effect of that in the economy,” he added.

“I think that the humanitarian part is far more important. I think it’s also very important for the future of the free democratic world. We may be at an inflection point for the free democratic world. That’s how seriously I take it.”

Further destructive strain on markets in latest months has come from a slowdown within the Chinese economic system, pushed largely by weak spot in its large property market.

Asked concerning the potential influence of this droop on the long-term prospects for China and the worldwide economic system, Dimon once more prompt that Eastern Europe was the precise epicentre of danger, with the struggle in Ukraine straining relationships between financial superpowers.

“Far more important to me is the Ukraine war, oil, gas, food migration — it’s affecting all global relationships — very importantly, the one between America and China,” Dimon mentioned.

“I think America takes this very seriously, I’m not quite sure how the rest of the world does. You have a European democratic nation invaded under the threat of nuclear blackmail. I think it’s been a good response, but it’s going to it’s going to affect all of our relationships until somehow the war is resolved.”

China and India have tried to take care of a impartial stance on the struggle and place themselves as potential peacemakers, using the nearer ties with Russia demonstrated by the BRICS alliance. Bejing has submitted a peace plan proposal to resolve the battle in Ukraine, which has to this point failed to achieve traction.

This positioned the world’s two most populous international locations considerably at odds with the U.S. and Europe, which have provided Ukraine with weapons and monetary help within the perception that solely a Ukrainian victory will restore worldwide order.

“India is going its own way. They’ve made their priorities quite clear about national security and what that means,” Dimon mentioned.

“I’m an American patriot, so governments are going to set foreign policy, not JPMorgan, but I think Americans should stop thinking that China is a 10-foot giant. Our GDP per person is $80,000, we have all the food, water and energy we need, we’ve got the unbelievable benefits of free enterprise and freedom.”

The Wall Street titan added that renewed U.S. engagement with China on points resembling commerce and nationwide safety was constructive, and that he wish to see extra of it to rebalance the commerce and funding relationship between Washington and Beijing, even when that precipitated a “little bit of unravelling.”

“But it’s not just America, every country is relooking at its net. What is national security? Do I have reliant energy lines? Do I need semiconductors from China? Where do I get my rare earths from? Ukraine woke everyone up to that and that’s a permanent state of affairs now,” Dimon mentioned.

Asked if geopolitics was the primary danger going through the world right now, Dimon responded “absolutely.”

“We have dealt with inflation before, we dealt with deficits before, we have dealt with recessions before, and we haven’t really seen something like this pretty much since World War II,” he added.