(MarketWatch) - ‘Sometimes there’s times to make money…sometimes there’s times not to lose money.’ — David Tepper, founder of Appaloosa Management
That is what the founder of hedge-fund Appaloosa Management told CNBC in a Friday interview, with U.S. stocks slipping lower, as the prominent investor spoke.
“I don’t think it’s a great investment,” Tepper told the business network, referring to his view on the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 index near record highs on Friday.
“I just don’t know how interest rates are going to behave next year,” Tepper added. “I don’t think there’s any great asset classes right now,” said the owner of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers.
Tepper said that he didn’t “love stocks. I don’t love bonds. I don’t love junk bonds,” referring to markets he felt were overvalued.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury note yield hit around 1.70% on Friday, near its highest level since May, with growing anticipation that the Federal Reserve will soon announce a tapering of monthly purchases of Treasurys and mortgage-backed securities that had been supportive of the market.
Tepper said that investors should remain invested for the long term but, for his part, he was taking a pause.
“My exposure’s not high right now,” he said of his position in financial markets. Tepper’s net worth is $15.8 billion, according to Forbes.
Tepper, who founded Appaloosa Management in 1993, has one of the strongest track records among active investors, and his remarks often move markets.
By Mark DeCambre
