Ray Dalio warns ‘cash is not a safe investment’

Ray Dalio, founder and co-chairman of the Westport hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, is warning investors not to place too much faith in cash following recent volatility in the markets.

In a CNBC interview, Dalio warned that “cash is not a safe investment, is not a safe place because it will be taxed by inflation.” Instead, he advised to focus on a well-balanced portfolio.

“You can reduce your risk without reducing your returns,” he stated. “You will not market-time this. Even if you were a great market timer, the things that are happening can change the world, so it changes what could be priced into the market.”

Dalio also expressed concern on Federal Reserve policies, cautioning that an excess money supply in the system could lead to socioeconomic disruptions.

“You can”™t raise living standards by raising the amount of money in credit in the system because that”™s just more money chasing the same amount of goods,” he said. “It will affect financial markets in the ways we”™ve seen and it will affect the inflation rate. It won”™t raise living standards in an important way. As inflation then begins to bite, it has political consequences.”

Dalio added that the Federal Reserve”™s actions were a rehash of the central bank”™s response to earlier economic crises, lamenting, “What we are seeing happen has played out many, many times in history; it”™s like watching the movie over again.”