• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health

3

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world

1

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it

2

'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health

3

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world
Financecarl icahn

Carl Icahn and Warren Buffett Battle Over the Market’s ‘Day of Reckoning’

By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Stephen Gandel
Stephen Gandel
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 29, 2016, 1:14 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Can Carl call it right twice?

Back in September, Icahn released a video saying that there was “danger ahead” in the financial markets. His timing was perfect. Over the next few months, the market nearly suffered a correction, as fears about China, junk bonds, and oil bubbled over. In 2016, the market had one of its worst starts ever.

Since then, though, Icahn’s view on the market hasn’t seemed as prescient. Stocks have rebounded and are nearly even for the year. Oil prices are rising. And the junk bond market, while painful for anyone who bet on the bonds of frackers, has not caused another financial crisis, as Icahn predicted.

Now Icahn is back again. This time it’s not danger ahead he is predicting, but a more ominous “Day of Reckoning,” which is the phrase he used on CNBC Thursday evening. Icahn is saying that the Fed has juiced the markets with low interest rates. But the recent rise in the Dow is not actually based on anything. So Icahn says we need fiscal stimulus and fast from Washington for the economy to live up to the promise the market is betting on. That’s not likely to happen. So the market may tumble. Icahn said he had a large short position, meaning he was betting stocks would fall.

Icahn is right that GDP growth, which was just 0.5% in the first quarter, was pretty lackluster. And corporate profits in the first quarter look weak, but not quite as bad as people expected. What’s more, the stock market is back to its relatively high price-to-earnings ratio of 18 times next year’s earnings.

That’s not a recipe for great stock market returns. But none of that means the market is going to crash, and Icahn has none other than Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, taking issue with his predictions. In an interview on CNBC Friday morning, Buffett said that the Fed’s low interest rates were not merely in place to pump up a stock market bubble and that, based on where interest rates are today, stocks should actually be higher than where they are now.

 

 

“Interest rates act on asset values like gravity works on physical matter,” Buffett said. “If you had zero interest rates and you knew you were going to have them forever, stocks should sell at, you know, 100 times earnings or 200 times earnings.”

Buffett said Icahn was one of tens of thousands of people who bought or sold stocks on Friday, and he wouldn’t put any more credence on what Icahn had to say than any of those other people.

Buffett said he feels like a “10 on the long-term optimism” scale.

Icahn also told CNBC that, “A country is not a company.” But he is supporting Donald Trump for president. And Trump’s campaign argues that The Donald will be a wonderful president because he has been a brilliant businessman. We have our doubts about the latter claim. But if Icahn doesn’t think running a company is like running a country, why is he supporting Trump?

Last fall, Icahn’s correctly read that there were a bunch of risks out there that the market and investors hadn’t fully factored in. But investors tend to panic and then move on. So it’s unlikely that the things Icahn has been worried about recently, i.e. low interest rates or junk bonds, would roil the market again. The market may be overvalued. But, in general, recessions and interest rates tend to take down the stock market, not high share prices.

About the Author
By Stephen Gandel
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump’s playbook — ‘We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows’
EconomyTariffs
A new trade war may be brewing. This time, Europe is taking a page from Trump’s playbook — ‘We no longer live in a world of pink ponies and rainbows’
By Jason MaJune 20, 2026
7 hours ago
Shipping companies will decide when the Strait of Hormuz is truly open—not the U.S. or Iran—and the latest deal is already sowing confusion
EnergyIran
Shipping companies will decide when the Strait of Hormuz is truly open—not the U.S. or Iran—and the latest deal is already sowing confusion
By Jason MaJune 20, 2026
9 hours ago
Trump threatens to charge U.S. tolls in Strait of Hormuz for ‘services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East’
EnergyDonald Trump
Trump threatens to charge U.S. tolls in Strait of Hormuz for ‘services rendered as the Guardian Angel to the countries of the Middle East’
By Kareem Chehayeb, Bassem Mroue, Munir Ahmed and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
9 hours ago
Who needs rate cuts? Even the Fed’s new chair admits companies are easily raising capital on financial markets amid epic stock and debt binge
BankingStock
Who needs rate cuts? Even the Fed’s new chair admits companies are easily raising capital on financial markets amid epic stock and debt binge
By Jason MaJune 20, 2026
10 hours ago
t
PoliticsWhite House
Americans on Trump and Iran: 65% disapprove, just like his job (dis)approval
By Linley Sanders, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
12 hours ago
t
Personal Financestudent loans and debt
Trump’s student loan rate cut excludes most of the 9 million borrowers in default
By Alia Wong, Collin Binkley and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
Environment
Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion for climate change. With the 2030 clock ticking, his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, is leading the charge to spend it
By Sydney LakeJune 19, 2026
2 days ago
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
Health
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
By Ali Swenson, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
12 hours ago
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says electricians and plumbers will be needed by the hundreds of thousands in the new working world
By Preston ForeJune 20, 2026
18 hours ago
The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
Economy
The Great Recession’s missing children are finally bringing college’s financial crisis into sight. Welcome to the ‘enrollment volatility’ era
By Tristan BoveJune 20, 2026
21 hours ago
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
Success
Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer publicly dismissed Chrome as a 'rounding error'—but Google’s CEO says he used the jab as fuel to win the browser-wars
By Preston ForeJune 17, 2026
4 days ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring for a recent role: ‘Nobody on that list gets that job’
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
3 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.