The Higher Standard

Episode 320 is a reminder that inflation isn’t a mystery and it definitely isn’t caused by your paycheck going up. This one cuts straight through the noise: tariffs aren’t “tough policy,” they’re a hidden tax, war risk isn’t some abstract headline, it’s an inflation accelerant, and the Fed is stuck trying to clean up a fiscal mess it didn’t create. While markets pretend everything is fine, corporate margins sit at historic highs, consumers keep spending, homeowners are insulated, and the cost quietly gets passed down the line. Wages get blamed, voters get distracted, and the money printer stays off-camera. Calm on the surface, pressure underneath... and a tariff time bomb sitting right in the middle of it all.
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🔗 Resources:
American consumers are bearing 96% of tariff costs, study finds (Morning Brew via Instagram)
Tariffs have raised $200,000,000,000 in revenue for the U.S., but… (Yahoo! Finance via Instagram)
Consumer sentiment up 2.5 points from December, but… (Yahoo! Finance via Instagram)
Elon Musk made his first appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos (Yahoo! Finance via Instagram)
Citi’s CEO Jane Fraser warns staff in memo… (Business Insider via Instagram)
Starbucks jumps after U.S. sales rise for the first time in 2 years… (Yahoo! Finance via Instagram)
Rent concessions are on the rise in American Sunbelt cities… (Wall Street Journal via Instagram)
The ‘Inverse Cramer’ fund launched 3 years ago… (Join Autopilot via Instagram)
Studios’ share of the domestic box office in 2025 (CNBC via Instagram)
⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note that the content shared on this show is solely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered legal or investment advice or attributed to any company. The views and opinions expressed are personal and not reflective of any entity. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and listeners are urged to seek professional advice before making any legal or financial decisions. By listening to The Higher Standard podcast you agree to these terms, and the show, its hosts and...

Davos felt like a global ideas conference with elite vibes and thin solutions. AI talk shifted from fear to acceptance, while housing fixes turned into political theater full of carveouts and long-shot proposals. We break down why none of it moves the needle for real affordability, then zoom out to the real story: money, confidence, and a monetary system under pressure. As Ray Dalio warns and gold keeps signaling stress, Treasury yields do the real talking, because when the 10 year moves, everything follows.
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This episode is proudly brought to you by Fridays.
Because real wealth starts with your health. If you want to feel sharper, stronger, and more in control, visit joinfridays.com and use code HIGHER for an exclusive discount.
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🔗 Resources:
Recklessness is the spending of governments (DiscloseTV via X)
Ray Dalio monetary order is breaking down (Pete Rizzo via X)
Build-to-rent is exempt from White House’s order to 'ban' institutional homebuying (ResiClub)
Understanding institutional landlord Invitation Homes’ new housing market bet (ResiClub)
A 10% cap on credit card rates would be an "economic disaster..." (Yahoo! Finance via X)
⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note that the content shared on this show is solely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered legal or investment advice or attributed to any company. The views and opinions expressed are personal and not reflective of any entity. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and listeners are urged to seek professional advice before making any legal or financial decisions. By listening to The Higher Standard podcast you agree to these terms, and the show, its hosts and employees are not liable for any consequences arising from your use of the content.

Markets are doing that thing where everything looks fine until you zoom out and realize risk is quietly pooling in all the wrong places. In this episode of The Higher Standard, we break down why green screens don’t mean healthy markets, how capital is hiding in mega-cap tech, and what our new U.S. Markets Risk Profile and Synthetic Volatility Index reveal about fragility beneath the surface. We unpack the Trump–Fed showdown, why central bank independence actually matters, and how Jamie Dimon’s warning fits into a growing confidence problem. Then we hit housing, where sales are up, prices are easing, rates are moving — and affordability is still broken — before closing on rising consumer stress. This isn’t a market in free fall; it’s a market quietly mispriced on risk.
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This episode is proudly brought to you by Fridays.
Because real wealth starts with your health. If you want to feel sharper, stronger, and more in control, visit joinfridays.com and use code HIGHER for an exclusive discount.
📩 NEWSLETTER: https://tr.ee/O6FWkv
👕 THS MERCH: http://www.thspod.com
🔗 Resources:
A major development in Trump’s Fed feud is set to happen next week in the Supreme Court (CNBC)
Jamie Dimon warns Federal Reserve subpoena 'not a good idea' (Fox Business)
Trump Says Dimon ‘Wrong’ to Criticize DOJ Probe of Fed’s Powell (Bloomberg Law)
Median Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States (Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis)
⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note that the content shared on this show is solely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered legal or investment advice or attributed to any company. The views and opinions expressed are personal and not reflective of any entity. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and listeners are urged to seek professional advice before making any legal or financial decisions. By listening to The Higher Standard podcast you agree to these terms, and the show, its hosts and employees are not liable for any consequences arising from your use of the content.

Markets sprinted to record highs, stumbled, and carried on like nothing happened, with the S&P 500 and Dow briefly touching new peaks before financials and energy lost momentum. Oil slid as President Donald Trump floated Venezuelan barrels coming to the U.S., a reminder that geopolitics never stays offstage for long, while stocks rising alongside a climbing VIX signaled positioning, not panic. At the same time, Washington rattled Wall Street landlords with talk of banning institutional buyers from single-family homes, media deal drama flared as Warner Bros. Discovery again swatted away Paramount in favor of Netflix certainty, and the through-line became clear: confidence is still driving the party.
💥 Have you left your "honest ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️" review?
This episode is proudly brought to you by Fridays.
Because real wealth starts with your health. If you want to feel sharper, stronger, and more in control, visit joinfridays.com and use code HIGHER for an exclusive discount.
📩 NEWSLETTER: https://tr.ee/O6FWkv
👕 THS MERCH: http://www.thspod.com
🔗 Resources:
U.S. Stocks Hit New Highs In Record-Setting Start To The Year (Yahoo! Finance via Instagram)
Dow closes more than 450 points lower, S&P 500 pulls back from record: Live updates (CNBC)
Trump says U.S.oil companies will invest billions of dollars in Venezuela (CNBC via Instagram)
Venezuela instability: market implications (Allianz Global Investors)
Venezuela's Maduro Declares Innocence in NY Court Hearing; Trump Reiterates the U.S. Is 'In Charge' (The Wall Street Journal)
S&P 500 and the VIX Post Gains On the Same Day (Market Watch via Instagram)
US will ban Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes, Trump says (Reuters)
Warner Bros rejects Paramount takeover again and tells shareholders to stick with Netflix bid (Yahoo! Finance)
⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note that the content shared on this show is solely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered legal or investment advice or attributed to any company. The views and opinions expressed are personal and not reflective of any entity. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and listeners are urged to seek professional advice before making any legal or financial decisions. By listening to The Higher Standard podcast you agree to these terms, and the show, its hosts and employees are not liable for any consequences arising from your use of the...

Wall Street has apparently reached a group chat consensus: 2026 only goes up. Every major strategist, from big banks to boutique shops, is lined up predicting another year of gains... because after a 90% rally off the 2022 lows, skepticism has officially been benched. Even lifelong bulls are starting to feel uneasy about the total absence of dissent, which historically isn’t exactly when you want everyone pounding the table at once. When pessimism disappears, risk doesn’t... it just gets 'mispriced.'
➡️ Meanwhile, the macro backdrop looks oddly “perfect” on paper and deeply questionable underneath. GDP prints strong, inflation magically cools, housing costs flatline… except a government shutdown quietly forced the data to assume reality took a month off. Add in tariff distortions, election-year volatility, AI bubble anxiety, and a looming funding deadline in Washington, and suddenly the bullish narrative starts to wobble.
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🔗 Resources:
Every Wall Street Analyst Now Predicts a Stock Rally in 2026 (Bloomberg)
The Stock Market Could Soar in 2026 as the Economy Booms Despite President Trump's Tariffs, According to Wall Street (The Motley Fool)
Why This Stock Market Expert Says He’s ‘Cautious’ Heading Into 2026 (Investopedia)
Clock ticking on government funding deadline as House battles other issues (The Hill)
Inflation falls to 2.7% as slower housing and food increases offset a surge in electricity (NBC News)
‘This is a wacky number’: economists cry foul as new government data assumes zero housing inflation in surprising November drop (Fortune)
⚠️ Disclaimer: Please note that the content shared on this show is solely for entertainment purposes and should not be considered legal or investment advice or attributed to any company. The views and opinions expressed are personal and not reflective of any entity. We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information provided, and listeners are urged to seek professional advice before making any legal or financial decisions. By listening to The Higher Standard podcast you agree to these terms, and the show, its hosts and employees are not liable for any consequences arising from your use of the content.