Davos WEF
Davos WEF

Billionaire hedge fund manager Ray Dalio says market surge ahead: 'If you're holding cash, you're going to feel pretty stupid'

Key Points
  • "We are in this Goldilocks period right now. Inflation isn't a problem. Growth is good, everything is pretty good with a big jolt of stimulation coming from changes in tax laws," Ray Dalio told CNBC on Tuesday from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
  • The investor said we're in the late part of the cycle and predicts we will see "a market blowoff" rally, fueled by cash from banks, corporations and investors.
Ray Dalio says market surge may be ahead: 'If you're holding cash, you're going to feel pretty stupid'
VIDEO2:0602:06
Ray Dalio says market surge may be ahead: 'If you're holding cash, you're going to feel pretty stupid'

Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio said the tax cut could lead to some big gains for the U.S. stock market.

"We are in this Goldilocks period right now. Inflation isn't a problem. Growth is good, everything is pretty good with a big jolt of stimulation coming from changes in tax laws," Dalio told CNBC on Tuesday from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The investor said we're in the late part of the cycle and predicts we will see "a market blowoff" rally, fueled by cash from banks, corporations and investors.

"There is a lot of cash on the sidelines. ... We're going to be inundated with cash," he said. "If you're holding cash, you're going to feel pretty stupid."

The is up 25 percent in the past 12 months. The current bull market started in 2009.

Ray Dalio at the 2018 WEF in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 23rd, 2018.
Adam Galica | CNBC

Dalio explained that the Federal Reserve's potential rate hikes are the key risk for the market. He said if the central bank increased interest rates by 100 to 125 basis points, asset prices will drop.

"You can't have a significant rise in interest rates without knocking over the whole asset markets," he said. The "Fed is going to determine what the level of real interest rates are."

Bridgewater is the world's largest hedge fund, managing about $160 billion, according to its website. Dalio started the firm in 1975 out of his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. He is now worth an estimated $17 billion, according to Forbes.

The investor released a book entitled "Principles: Life and Work" in September. Dalio shared his life lessons such as the time he nearly went broke.

"I'd lost so much money I couldn't afford to pay the people who worked with me. One by one, I had to let them go," he wrote. "To make ends meet, I even had to borrow $4,000 from my dad until we could sell our second car."

WATCH: CNBC's full interview with Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio: US markets in 'beautiful Goldilocks' period
VIDEO15:2715:27
Ray Dalio: US markets in 'beautiful Goldilocks' period