Interest rates could hit 8% or more and wars are creating outsize geopolitical risks, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan, $JPM, has said

Interest rates could hit 8% or more and wars are creating outsize geopolitical risks, Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan, $JPM, has said.

Persistent inflationary pressures stemming from fiscal deficits and military conflicts, among other factors, could potentially drive U.S. interest rates to 8% or higher, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon cautioned on Monday.

In his annual letter to shareholders, a comprehensive 61-page document covering various global issues and reflections on his bank's performance, Dimon noted that the market seems to be pricing in a 70% to 80% chance of a soft landing for the U.S. economy, a probability he believes is much lower.

Dimon has consistently held a more pessimistic view on the economy than many economists, having warned in 2022 of an impending "hurricane" as the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to combat inflation.

JPMorgan Chase stock (JPM) has shown a 16% increase so far in 2024, compared to the 9.1% rise of the S&P 500.

Highlighting several factors contributing to inflation, Dimon mentioned "ongoing fiscal spending, remilitarization of the world, restructuring of global trade, capital needs of the new green economy, and possibly higher energy costs in the future (even though there currently is an oversupply of gas and plentiful spare capacity in oil)" as key drivers.

He also pointed out that today's fiscal deficits surpass those seen in the 1970s and 1980s, which were partly due to the Vietnam War. These deficits are occurring during economic booms, not recessions, and are supported by central banks' quantitative easing.

Dimon expressed particular concern about quantitative easing and its eventual reversal, a process that has never been undertaken on this scale before.

Discussing the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the stock market, Dimon mentioned that the bank has appointed a chief data and analytics officer to its operating committee to address this trend.

JPMorgan Chase remains firmly convinced that AI will have extraordinary and transformational consequences, akin to major inventions of the past few centuries such as the printing press, the steam engine, electricity, computing, and the internet.

Dimon emphasized that AI has the potential to enhance virtually every job and could alter the composition of the workforce over time, creating new roles while potentially reducing others.

He also highlighted the security threat posed by AI from malicious actors and outlined the bank's efforts to detect and mitigate these threats proactively.

Addressing the current polarization in American politics, Dimon called for unity and collaboration with other Western nations to uphold essential freedoms, including free enterprise. He emphasized the importance of protecting democracy and highlighted America's role as a beacon of hope for people worldwide.