Stanley Druckenmiller warns Scott Bessent to prioritize budget deficit cuts over market intervention to lower bond yields
Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller has advised Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to focus on reducing the national budget deficit rather than attempting to manipulate bond yields through market intervention. Druckenmiller, a former mentor of Bessent, argued that the US government should allow the bond market to reflect fundamentals rather than spending to push up prices. He noted that the long-term Treasury yield is the only remaining fiscal disciplinarian for the US, and a credible fiscal package would be more effective than a buyback program. This critique comes as the administration announced plans to double the size of Treasury buyback operations from $2 billion to at least $4 billion. To fund these purchases, the administration announced that the Treasury could utilize its near $1 trillion General Account. While some market analysts expressed skepticism regarding the effectiveness of the operation, the administration announced that the Treasury intends to keep the market in equilibrium. Scott Bessent stated that the administration aims to focus on the market on fundamentals and avoid headline-driven trading during a thin market period.
Sources
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US Treasury’s Scott Bessent ‘will lose’ battle with bond markets, former mentor warns
The Guardian
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Bessent could tap near $1 trillion Treasury General Account to fund bond buybacks, sources said
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The Hill
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