BlackRock’s chief investment officer of global fixed income, Rick Rieder, says markets today offer the broadest range of opportunities he has seen in his career.
In a CNBC interview, Rieder explains why he believes the investment backdrop is unprecedented, citing strong earnings, abundant liquidity, and cross-asset income.
“I think it’s the best investment environment. You have a couple of things taking place all at once. Technology is changing. We’ve got incredible earnings growth. There are a number of tech companies. That’s exciting. You’ve got bifurcation across different companies in the fixed income market.
You’ve got income everywhere. You can still create 6% income until the Fed cuts rates. That’s super exciting in different areas. You’ve got publics, you’ve got privates, you’ve got gold, you’ve got bitcoin. There’s so much to do that it’s the best I’ve ever seen in terms of figuring out where it is. And that, to be an investor, is as exciting as I’ve ever seen.”
He also points to corporate results and cash flows as tailwinds for more market rallies.
“Earnings growth is pretty darn good. Like when you wrap up second-quarter earnings, it’s pretty impressive…
There’s a massive amount of cash. The buybacks relative to the IPO calendar dwarf it. It’s about $1.3 trillion versus $50, $60 billion we got this year. Technicals and equities are amazing.”
Rieder’s comments come as an investment banking advisory firm predicted that the S&P 500 will record new all-time highs, driven by artificial intelligence.
Evercore ISI says investor enthusiasm for AI is already transforming valuations and could propel the S&P 500 far beyond current levels. The analysts note that if confidence spreads across businesses, consumers, and markets, the stock market index could hit the massive price target as early as next year.
“AI is ‘bigger’ than the Internet. In three years, its effect has touched all parts of society and industry, even as adoption only begins to inflect.”
In its bull-case scenario, Evercore sees the stock market skyrocketing to 9,000.