Bridgewater's Ray Dalio: We Are in a "Classic Crash" of the Monetary, Political, and Geopolitical Order, with Tariffs Signaling Greater Cyclical Change

April 8th: The billionaire hedge fund manager and the founder of Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio, wrote that although the current market and economic focus on tariffs is significant, deeper global issues should not be ignored. He pointed out that we are in a stage of the "classic collapse" of monetary, political, and geopolitical orders. This is a situation that may only happen once in a lifetime but has occurred multiple times in history. Dalio suggested not to be distracted by short-term events like tariffs and instead focus on the interaction of five major forces (economic, political, geopolitical, natural, and technological). Studying similar historical cycles (such as currency crises) can assist in predicting the future. "The current changes are part of a historic large cycle. Tariffs are just a manifestation, and the true driving force is the structural collapse of the monetary, political, and geopolitical order. Understanding the interaction of these forces and learning from historical experiences is crucial for better addressing the future."