Bank of America CEO predicts two years of pain ahead in the housing market

The CEO of one of the nation’s largest banks is preparing for an economic downturn in 2023. But he’s also hopeful that the likely recession will be brief and “mild.”

Bank of America (BAC) CEO Brian Moynihan said in an exclusive interview with Poppy Harlow on “CNN This Morning” Tuesday that there is a lot of uncertainty in the global economy due to the potential US freight railroad strike, Russia’s war with Ukraine and Covid shutdowns in China.

So an economic pullback shouldn’t be a major surprise. But Moynihan told Harlow that the worst-case fears for the economy may not materialize — thanks to the continued resilience of American shoppers.

“That was predicted to happen earlier this year. There was going to be a real slowdown,” Moynihan said. “The Fed was going to raise rates and it’s all pushed out largely because of the US consumer.”

Moynihan’s comments about the economy are decidedly more bullish than some of his peers.

A customer uses an automated teller machine (ATM) at a Bank of America bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, July 12, 2021

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JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said earlier this summer that Americans should brace for an economic “hurricane.” And Goldman Sachs (GS) CEO David Solomon told Harlow in July that there’s a “good chance” the United States has yet to reach peak inflation.

Still, Moynihan is concerned that there could be more tough times ahead for the housing market. Mortgage rates have skyrocketed this year due to the Federal Reserve’s series of aggressive interest rate hikes. That has made it difficult — if not impossible — for many younger Americans to buy a first home.

“This is the toughest thing. You have to slow down the economy. You have to slow down inflation. And the way you do that is raising interest rates,” Moynihan said. “The intended outcome of [the Fed’s] policies doesn’t feel good when you are trying to buy a home.”

Moynihan told Harlow that there could be two years of pain in the housing market before activity returns to normal.

But despite worries about the housing market, Moynihan said he’s still optimistic that the US economy will continue to lead the global recovery, especially given concerns about China’s recent Covid outbreak and the intensifying protests over the country’s strict lockdown policies.

“I think our economy is holding on better than the rest of the world,” he said.