Paul Tudor Jones talks meme stocks, asset allocation, and inflation

Hedge fund manager Paul Tudor was a guest on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” segment Monday morning with plenty to talk about, including meme stocks, how Bitcoin fits in with his stock portfolio, and his take on the latest inflation data.

Meme stocks aren’t for everyone

Concerning the meme-stock craze, Tudor Jones believes that retail investors should follow the investment thesis they desire, regardless of what it may be. Personally, he said he would not pursue the type of investment strategy that dominates forums like Reddit. He added:

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For me, I want to have a sound investment thesis other than just necessarily running shorts in or necessarily doing things simply because of the fact it is extraordinary and hasn’t been done before.

As a whole, he said the stock market is trading at a premium valuation compared to the broader economy. This creates a potential scenario where the top has been reached and if history repeats itself, we could see a signficant correction coming.

Bitcoin is a ‘great diversifier’

Although traditionally known as a stock picker, Tudor Jones said there is room for 5% of his portfolio to include Bitcoin. He said that Bitcoin can serve as a “great diversifier” for his portfolio and cryptocurrencies as a whole offers “a story of wealth.”

He said that he likes putting his money in something honest, reliable, consistent, and 100% certain and reliable, and this can apply to Bitcoin. He further claimed that he likes investing in Bitcoin because it means he’s investing in certainty. He explained:

Bitcoin is math, and math has been around for thousands of years, and two plus two is going to equal four, and it will for the next two thousand years. So I like the idea of investing in something that’s reliable, consistent, honest, and 100% certain.

While Bitcoin accounts for 5% of his portfiolio, another 5% is invested in gold, 5% in cash, and 5% in commodities. He’s not so sure about the other 80% leftover as of right now. He says that he’ll wait and see what action the Federal Reserve will take in the upcoming policy meeting as its actions will “have a big impact.”

Monetary and fiscal policy is ‘crazy’

Tudor Jones also said the current mix of fiscal and monetary policy is “crazy” to the point where it might even be the craziest since the creation of the Federal Reserve. He states that, given how the economy looks right now, the combination of easy monetary policies and high government spending goes against economic orthodoxy.

He further claims that high prices in both gold and cryptocurrency result from people losing faith in the Federal Reserve. He says that it’s “disingenuous” for the Federal Reserve to look at inflation as “transitory.” This stance has led to people questioning the central bank’s market capabilities.