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Ray Dalio's long history with Australia

Reported by AFR
Jun 28, 2019· 2 min read
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Key Takeaways
  • • Ray Dalio has maintained a substantial presence in Australia since the late 1980s, advising major corporations including Alan Bond's Bond Corporation, Lendlease, and Australian superannuation funds, establishing one of the longest track records among international investors in the market.
  • • Bridgewater Associates, founded by Dalio from a two-bedroom apartment in New York in 1975, has grown into the world's largest hedge fund by assets under management, with Dalio serving as a global macro investor for over 50 years.
  • • Dalio's early market call in 1982—when he incorrectly predicted an imminent American depression at age 33—became a formative lesson that shaped his investment philosophy and risk management approach over subsequent decades.
  • • As a prolific author and thought leader, Dalio has documented his investment principles and macro analysis in published works, including *The Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail*, which examines historical patterns spanning 500 years to inform contemporary investment strategy.
Summary
Ray Dalio's engagement with the Australian market spans more than three decades, making him one of the longest-tenured international investors advising the country's institutional capital base. Beginning in the late 1980s, Dalio and Bridgewater Associates established advisory relationships with prominent Australian corporations and financial institutions, including Alan Bond's Bond Corporation, Lendlease, and major superannuation funds. This sustained involvement reflects Dalio's broader macro-investment strategy of maintaining diversified exposure across global markets and institutional clients.

Dalio founded Bridgewater Associates in 1975 from a two-bedroom apartment in New York City, building the firm into the world's largest hedge fund manager. As a global macro investor with a career spanning more than five decades, Dalio has become known for applying historical analysis and systematic risk management to portfolio construction. His early prediction in 1982—when he publicly declared on national television that America faced an imminent depression—proved incorrect but became instrumental in refining his subsequent investment approach and analytical rigor.

Beyond portfolio management, Dalio has established himself as a prominent intellectual voice in finance through his written work, most notably *The Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail*, which examines five centuries of historical patterns to contextualize contemporary geopolitical and economic shifts. His analysis of long-term cycles and structural changes has informed his perspective on Australia's role within global capital flows and macroeconomic trends. Dalio's multifaceted engagement with Australia—as institutional advisor, capital allocator, and macro-economic commentator—reflects a sustained conviction in understanding the country's position within the evolving international financial system.

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Sources

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AFR Ray Dalio's long history with Australia