Bond guru Bill Gross, who has long called for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, urged the U.S. central bank on Wednesday to “get off zero and get off quick” as zero-bound levels are harming the real economy and destroying insurance company balance sheets and pension funds.
In his October Investment Outlook report, Gross wrote that the Fed, which did not raise its benchmark interest rates at last week’s high-profile policy meeting, should acknowledge the destructive nature of zero percent interest rates over the intermediate and longer term.
“Zero destroys existing business models such as life insurance company balance sheets and pension funds, which in turn are expected to use the proceeds to pay benefits for an aging boomer society,” Gross said. “These assumed liabilities were based on the assumption that a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds would return 7-8 percent over the long term.”
