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Bank of America chief executive Brian Moynihan is not afraid of a potential economic downturn in the United States, saying the US consumer is still in a strong position and can sustain the growth of the economy.
"The underlying consumer is doing well and making more money – more importantly, spending more," Moynihan told Becky Quick of CNBC on Wednesday. Moynihan said the bank's consumer base had spent $ 2 trillion this year, an increase of 5.9% over the same period last year. "The US consumer continues to spend, which will keep the US economy healthy."
His comments on "Squawk Box" come amid growing fears of a recession. This has led investors to reduce their exposure to riskier assets, such as equities, in favor of traditionally safer treasuries, lowering yields and depressing bank stocks. Bank of America shares have fallen more than 12% this month.
Moynihan pointed out that fears of recession were emerging as the US-China trade war dragged on as the European economy slowed down.
The world's two largest economies – China and the United States – have been engaged in a trade war since last year. Both countries have applied tariffs on billions of dollars of their goods. In Europe, economic activity has slowed to the point where the European Central Bank has announced that further stimulus measures will be taken.
However, Moynihan said the world "is accustomed" to the US-China trade dispute. "And most people think that the situation in China, which is very difficult, will take a long time to fully resolve."
The trade war as well as the slowdown in economic activity abroad contributed to the Federal Reserve's decision to cut rates by 25 basis points last month. Traders also expect the Fed to drop rates again in September, according to the FedWatch tool from the CME group. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he "thought" of reducing payroll taxes. On Wednesday, he stepped up pressure on the Fed by comparing President Jerome Powell to "a golfer who does not know putter".
"The only thing the world can not afford for the moment is that the United States is not continuing its growth cycle," Moynihan said. "It would be a bad time for the United States to have a problem."
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