Goldman Sachs CEO David Michael Solomon attends a dialogue on “Women Entrepreneurs Through Finance and Markets” on the World Bank on October 18, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Olivier Douliery | AFP | Getty Images
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon mentioned Monday that inflation is deeply embedded within the international financial system and it is unclear whether or not the state of affairs will enhance later this yr.
“We see inflation deeply entrenched within the financial system, and what’s uncommon about this specific interval is that each demand and provide are being affected by exogenous occasions, specifically the pandemic and the warfare on Ukraine,” Solomon informed analysts throughout a name to debate second-quarter outcomes.
Solomon, who leads certainly one of Wall Street’s prime advisors to firms, then laid out one of many central debates occurring in markets proper now: It is thought that inflation is at multidecade highs; however how lengthy will it persist?
“My dialogue with CEOs working huge international companies, they inform me that they proceed to see persistent inflation of their provide chains,” Solomon mentioned. “Our economists in the meantime say there are indicators that inflation will transfer decrease within the second half of the yr. The reply is unsure and we’ll all be watching it very carefully.”
As central banks all over the world proceed to tighten monetary situations to fight inflation, already risky markets throughout asset lessons will stay uneven, he mentioned.
The chief concern is that the marketing campaign to struggle inflation will start to take a toll on each “company confidence and likewise shopper exercise within the financial system,” Solomon informed an analyst.
The uncertainty has Solomon working his New York-based financial institution cautiously, together with by analyzing its spending plans. The agency has opted to gradual its fee of recent hires, minimize the skilled charges it pays and can doubtless reinstate annual efficiency evaluations for workers this yr, based on CFO Denis Coleman.
“I anticipate there’s going to be extra volatility and there is going to be extra uncertainty and in mild of the present surroundings we’ll handle all our assets cautiously,” Solomon mentioned.
