Long-time investment executive George Ball has changed his tune on Bitcoin, touting it as a potential “staple” for traders and investors.
In an interview with Fred Katayama of Reuters, the former CEO of Prudential Securities, who was once an outspoken Bitcoin critic, names crypto as the asset class to buy outside of equities.
“I’ve never said this before, and I’ve always been a blockchain, cryptocurrency, and blockchain opponent, but if you look right now, the government can’t stimulate the markets forever. The liquidity flow will end. Sooner or later, the government’s got to start paying for all of the stimulus, the deficits, and the very smart and well-deserved subsidies that it is providing to [the] people.”
Ball describes multiple scenarios that could cause investors to flock to BTC.
“Are they going to raise taxes that high? Or if not, are they going to print money? If they print money, that debases the currency. And probably, even things like TIPS – Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities – can be corrupted, and the very wealthy investor or the trader probably will turn to Bitcoin or something like it as a staple.”
The veteran investor also believes that investors will turn to Bitcoin because its fundamental properties cannot be exploited by any institution.
“The notion is not too high to seek a tax refuge but to have something that can’t be undermined by the government, and it won’t become worthless… If the ‘Robin Hooders’ don’t want to trade stocks as they have, where are they going to put their money? There are no yields today, and so Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency becomes either a long-term ‘I want to make a safe haven for my money’ or a short-term speculative bet and I think it’s where many people will turn after Labour Day.”