Fintech CEO: Rate Hikes & Inflation Spell Different Reality than Stock Market

Since its low in June, the S&P has seen a bump of 18%, while the NASDAQ has risen roughly 20%. This week, both Morgan Stanley and BlackRock analysts have noted that the recent bounce likely won’t continue. One Fintech exec, who has been sounding the warning bells on the economy for the better part of the past year, speaks on the current state of affairs.

“As soon as we saw the trajectory of the pandemic-related spending bills, anybody with basic economic knowledge knew that inflation was going to be a concern. What most didn’t anticipate was the land war in Eastern Europe that only exacerbated energy costs and supply chain issues,” said Richard Gardner, CEO of Modulus, a US-based developer of ultra-high-performance trading and surveillance technology that powers global equities, derivatives, and digital asset exchanges.

“As inflation, which was nudged higher by pandemic-related supply chain shortages which still haven’t fully abated, began to affect household budgets, it was clear that rate hikes were coming. The 75 basis point hikes were historic, but all indicators show that additional increases will be necessary. The increases are only starting to ripple across the economy,” said Gardner.

“There was some excitement over July’s CPI, but the reality is that this economy isn’t back on track. The excitement and celebration is a bit too soon, and I think the fundamentals still show that. Given the market’s recent boon, I think you’re starting to see an influx of FOMO, and that’s not painting the full picture,” said Gardner.

Modulus is known throughout the financial technology segment as a leader in the development of ultra-high frequency trading systems and blockchain technologies. Modulus has provided its exchange solution to some of the industry’s most profitable digital asset exchanges, including a well-known multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency exchange. Over the past twenty years, the company has built technology for the world’s most notable institutions, with a client list which includes NASA, NASDAQ, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Barclays, Siemens, Shell, Yahoo!, Microsoft, Cornell University, and the University of Chicago.

“Right now could be a great time for companies to work on new projects and get them ready to bring to market. It is a great time for R&D, and, for the companies that planned for this economic upheaval, it is a time to poach top talent that find themselves laid-off. In particular, it is a great time for startups that just completed a major funding round. They’ll have the financial resources to weather the storm while competitors may begin to struggle with liquidity,” said Gardner.