Hedge Fund Tycoon Steve Cohen: Probability of U.S. Economic Recession is About 45%

Billionaire investor and founder of the hedge fund Point72 Asset Management (known as "Wall Street's most insane money-making machine"), Steve Cohen, stated at the Sohn Investment Conference in New York on Wednesday: "We are not yet in a recession, but economic growth has significantly slowed." The 68-year-old Cohen said he does not believe the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates immediately because "they will be concerned about inflation brought on by tariffs." He expects U.S. economic growth to slow to 1.5% or lower next year, "a level that is acceptable but not impressive." He mentioned that the stock market's plunge and rebound in April appeared unusual in terms of reversal speed and emphasized that he is closely monitoring the market's reaction after the next round of U.S. economic data is released. Even if the market does decline, he expects the drop to be between 10% and 15%, "which is not catastrophic." He also added that the U.S. stock market might maintain a sideways fluctuation for some time.