JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon calls Fitch downgrade of U.S. credit 'ridiculous'

The Fitch Ratings downgrade of the United States’ long-term credit rating ultimately doesn’t matter, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC on Wednesday.

“It doesn’t really matter that much” because it is the market, and not rating agencies, that determine borrowing costs, Dimon told CNBC’s Leslie Picker.

Stick with Treasurys even after Fitch downgrades U.S., UBS says

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Still, it is “ridiculous” that countries including Canada have higher credit ratings than the U.S. when they depend on the stability created by the U.S. and its military, Dimon added.

“To have them be triple-A and not America is kind of ridiculous,” Dimon said. “It’s still the most prosperous nation on the planet, it’s the most secure nation in the planet.”

Fitch downgraded the country’s rating to AA+ from AAA on Tuesday, pointing to “expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years,” an erosion of governance and a growing general debt burden.

The agency put the U.S. rating on watch in May after members of Congress butted heads over raising the debt ceiling and brought the country to near-default.

“We should get rid of the debt ceiling,” Dimon said. “It’s used by both parties” in ways that sow uncertainty for markets, he said.

Fed, AI and Ukraine

Consumer impact

Dimon lambasted regulators’ efforts to tighten standards on U.S. banks, saying the proposals unveiled last week were “hugely disappointing.” At one point, he held up a chart showing the web of regulators that banks deal with.

Banks will be forced to hold more capital as a cushion against a variety of risks, which will impact consumers, because the industry will cede more products to non-bank players, Dimon warned. That’s what happened in the U.S. mortgage market, which is dominated by firms including Rocket Mortgage.

Part of the changes involve banks ditching internal risk models for more-standardized versions from the Federal Reserve.

“If I was the Fed, I’d be careful about saying their models are perfect,” Dimon said. “Remember, their models didn’t show inflation and didn’t show 5% interest rates.”

Watch CNBC's full interview with JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon on Fitch downgrade, the Fed and regulations

Post source: cnbc

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