Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Jamie Dimon sounds the alarm on the future of American prosperity

Jamie Dimon sounds the alarm on the future of American prosperity

Jamie Dimon is very bullish on the US economic recovery from the pandemic. And yet the JPMorgan Chase CEO is deeply concerned about the future of America.

In his annual shareholder letter Wednesday, Dimon wrote that the Covid-19 pandemic, the "horrific murder" of George Floyd and the painfully slow economic growth of the past two decades are all symptoms of a broader problem: "inept" public policy and broad government dysfunction.

"Unfortunately, the tragedies of this past year are only the tip of the iceberg — they merely expose enormous failures that have existed for decades and have been deeply damaging to America," Dimon wrote, adding that the nation was "totally unprepared" for the deadly pandemic.

Dimon, one of the leaders of Corporate America and Wall Street, sounds the alarm on the future of American prosperity in the 66-page letter, which represents his most expansive comments to date on policy. He notes that America has faced tough times before — including the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression and World War II.

"In each case, America's might and resiliency strengthened our position in the world, particularly in relation to our major international competitors," Dimon said. "This time may be different."

In other words, America's rivals, most notably China, could use this moment to catch up.

Don't assume the problems will go away


In a phone interview with CNN Business, Dimon urged the nation to take this moment seriously.

"Are we at a crossroads? I don't know, but I would treat it like one," he said. "The better strategy in life is to assume it is and fix it, rather than assume it will go away."

Dimon suggested the first step is for America to admit it has serious problems.

"Even in business, you don't fix things if you don't recognize you have a problem," Dimon told CNN Business. "We are in a position where we could do a great job — or continue to just muddle through and then we'll all be blaming each other."

Dimon's letter, which includes a roadmap for how to get America back on track, comes as business leaders face pressure to provide moral leadership on major issues, ranging from climate change and voting rights to inequality.

Corporate America's willingness to engage on Georgia's controversial voting law led Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to warn of repercussions and former President Donald Trump to call for a boycott of major American brands, including JPMorgan.

'Broken policy'


In his shareholder letter, Dimon wrote that America is "clearly under a lot of stress and strain" from various events, including the pandemic, racial unrest, the rise of China and "the divisive 2020 presidential election, culminating in the storming of the Capitol and the attempt to disrupt our democracy."

The JPMorgan (JPM) CEO wrote that China sees an America that is losing ground in technology, infrastructure and education and a nation "torn and crippled by politics," racial and income inequality and unable to coordinate government policies in a coherent way to accomplish goals.

"Unfortunately, recently, there is a lot of truth to this," Dimon said. "Perhaps we were lulled into a false sense of security and complacency in the last two decades of the 20th century as we enjoyed relative peace in the world and a position of global dominance, validated by the fall of the Soviet Union."

Dimon suggested that many of America's problems are self-inflicted and the result of extreme polarization and "broken policy."

"Politics is increasingly divisive, and government is increasingly dysfunctional, leading to a number of policies that simply don't work," Dimon wrote. "The fault line is inequality. And its cause is staring us in the face: our own failure to move beyond our differences and self-interest and act for the greater good."

Dimon: This economic boom could run into 2023


The good news is that Dimon thinks these problems are fixable and he's upbeat on the economic recovery from the pandemic.

"I have little doubt that with excess savings, new stimulus savings, huge deficit spending, more QE [quantitative easing], a new potential infrastructure bill, a successful vaccine and euphoria around the end of the pandemic, the US economy will likely boom," Dimon wrote. "This boom could easily run into 2023 because all the spending could extend well into 2023."

Asked by CNN Business when the last time was that he felt this optimistic about the US economy, Dimon said, "not for a long time."

"The circumstances are quite good, though some people are still being left behind. And we're coming out of COVID, thank God," he said.

The coming economic boom is "good for everybody ultimately," Dimon said, "but it doesn't fix all of our problems."

Dysfunction is slowing down the economy


Those problems, according to Dimon's letter, include inequality in the nation's education system, a costly litigation and regulatory system, "terrible" infrastructure planning, wasteful spending, ineffective immigration policies and "poorly designed" social safety nets.

"It is hard to look at these issues in their totality and not conclude that they have a significant negative effect on the great American economic engine," Dimon said, adding that the "dysfunction" could easily have been a 1% drag on the nation's economic growth rate.

Dimon laid out a series of what he sees as root causes for America's issues, including short-term thinking, an overreliance on economic models, media hype and partisan politics.

"Our problems are complex and frustrating — but they are fixable with hard work," Dimon wrote.

He laid out 15 policies leaders should focus on, including improved wages for low-skilled work, training for jobs, making it easier for those with a criminal record to get a job, better fiscal and tax policy, reforming social safety net programs, reviewing regulatory red tape, modernizing infrastructure, intelligent industrial policy and proper immigration policies.

'We do not have a divine right to success'


In the end, Dimon argued that healthy economic growth "may be the only way out of our current situation" of slow income growth and rapidly rising debt.

If the US economy grew at 3% instead of 2% over a 10-year period, that would lead to $2.3 trillion in additional GDP by the end of the decade, translating to an average increase in household income of about $18,000, according to JPMorgan.

"A 3% growth rate is what we used to have — and it is achievable again," he wrote.

Dimon urged America to roll up its sleeves and address its myriad of problems — before it's too late.

"While I have a deep and abiding faith in the United States of America and its extraordinary resiliency and capabilities, we do not have a divine right to success," he wrote. "Our challenges are significant, and we should not assume they will take care of themselves."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
China Presses Netherlands to “properly” Resolve the Nexperia Seizure as Supply Chain Risks Grow
Merz Attacks Migrants, Sparks Uproar, and Refuses to Apologize: “Ask Your Daughters”
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
×