The Higher Standard

October is in and it appears to have moderated, cooling measurably more than anticipated. Consumer prices rose 3.2 percent in the year through October, decelerating from the previous month and showing encouraging signs under the surface, but is it enough to keep Jerome Powell and The Fed data dependent and focused on the potential for future rate cuts? Saied, Chris and Haroon breakdown what they t...

Welcome back to the number one financial literacy podcast in the world! It's The Higher Standard podcast. This episode Chris, Saied and Haroon continue to breakdown why they think we are likely already in a recession and the overwhelming likelihood that a "soft landing" was never actually possible. Owning a home has gotten way too unaffordable and despite the rhetoric from too many real estate eco...

This show, like Saied's jumper 15 years ago is "moist." The boys start off acknowledging there is a noticeable hum in Haroon's microphone. We apologize for the technical glitch. Jerome Powell finally proves he is about that life. Sadly, Chris, Saied and Haroon are horrified at one of their favorite economists selling out in the most hypocritical way possible. And, if that wasn't bad enough, Planet...

Let's not mince words here, we got three spectacular reviews and they were the highlight of our night. Thank you to the listeners who made this episode extra special. The episode of The Higher Standard podcast is a ton of fun at every stop. The boys briefly touch on mortgage demand dropping to approximately 50% of pre-pandemic levels, a sharp slowdown in hiring and where to put your money while al...

The boys called it, The Fed has left rates unchanged. Granted, it wasn't that hard of a call as all the data seemed to suggest that was the overwhelming likely result. Yet, somehow Jamie Dimon came out sounding hawkish after Jerome Powell came out dovish. Adjustable-rate mortgage demand jumps nearly 10% and Wells Fargo is now warning of a 1980s style recession. Confused, don't be. Saied, Chris and...

Chris, Saied and Haroon unpack the outstanding mortgage market by rate before hopping in to an example of how tenuous the business has become for lenders and their employees. Then they dive in to some chart work with sexy visual stimulus regarding the current state of the consumer credit market. To round off the show ahead of jumping in to Saied's self-inflated basketball ego, they boys take a loo...

U.S. GDP grew at a 4.9% annual pace in the third quarter, better than expected, but Chris, Saied and Haroon aren't convinced this is a good thing. They look back at previous recessions and some of the GDP trending before and after declaration to try and determine if the newest GDP print really has any meaning. Mohammaed El-Erian seems to share many of the same fears regarding the impact of rates o...

From the very beginning of this data heavy episode Saied is salty, dare we say even – grump!  Come for the discussion on housing affordability versus renting, mortgage rate debates and updates on the National Association of Realtors antitrust lawsuits.  But, stay for the sassy attitude that Saied is bringing to the table.  Listen as Chris and Haroon are attacked at ev...

Your favorite bank CEO, Brian Moynihan is back at it again with a full on contradiction from just a year ago. Chris, Saied and Haroon waste no time calling him to the carpet. Not to be outdone, Peter Schiff pointed out that Bank of America has unrealized losses of approximately $47.8 billion dollars. The boys get in to home sales data which indicate that 2023 may be the slowest year since The Grea...

Spoiler alert, it's cheaper to rent than it is to buy in many markets and Chris, Saied and Haroon are here to break it all down. They use the Austin market, which was a major growth market during the pandemic, as a prime example of the stress that may be forcing rental rates further down. They take a break to celebrate some of the nation's top colleges eliminating student loans entirely, but then...

Saied, Chris and Haroon are back in the lab with a fun filled dive in to the wild swings of CPI, PPI and a full breakdown on whether or not this will ultimately influence the Fed's next meeting. The boys unpack some housing data and similarities to The Great Recession's housing market bubble and today. Sponsored By Transcend Company: TRANSCEND your goals! With a telehealth physician directed perso...

Chris, Saied and Haroon have been building up slowly on our collective knowledge and discussions about the bond market. Well, in this episode we put it all together and talk about how its current status is likely going to impact you and all the news you're hearing. But first, the boys jump in to some compelling financial facts they quote from one of their favorite X pages - The Kobeissi Letter. On...

Redfin can't cut ties will the National Association of Realtors ("NAR") because they have a monopoly over the Multiple Listing Service or "MLS." The MLS is a database established by cooperating real estate brokers to provide data about properties for sale and it is under the sole dominion and control of NAR. The MLS allows Realtors to see one another's listings of properties for sale with the goal...

You asked for it and we heard you. Today's episode is a focused single topic edition with a deep dive in to everything you need to know about The Fed. How its Board functions, how they get the positions and more. Of course we had to take a few shots at Neel Kashkari because he often has an opinion that frustrates Chris and Saied. Then as a special ending, we cap the show with an homage to Saied's...

After a long needed week off of production, the boys are back in the studio. Haroon kicks off the episode by actually making sure that all three red lights are on to ensure that no video or audio will be missed for this reunion episode. Chris spent a week in Kauai and returns to Saied and Haroon with some new found emotional warmth, no jokes about the male anatomy, but plenty of "aloha!" Jumping r...

Saied, Haroon and Chris wanted to find a way to give back to the THS community and "thank you" all for your support. We know that at times we can't and don't always answer questions in the "DMs" as well as we would like to. So, we posted a Q&A opportunity on our respective Instagram accounts. We were overwhelmed with the wonderful questions asked and we can't thank each and every single one of...

In a spectacular display of machismo, Saied gives Chris not one, but three separate fist pounds during this sensational episode. Maybe Saied was just happy that the Federal Reserve left rates unchanged? Maybe it was the Fed's terrible track record of forecasting what the economy is likely to do? I guess we will never know, but what you will know for sure after this show is that we may be in the bi...

Please place all seat back and tray tables in their locked and upright positions, because you're about to go on a long voyage of economic data baby! Saied, Chris and Haroon are back and they have a lot to talk about in this episode. The September 20th Fed announcement hasn't even happened yet and Goldman Sachs is already saying that the Fed is unlikely to raise rates in November. So, naturally The...

With an uncharacteristically early recording time, the boys come in extra hot and caffeinated. Saied finally admits to being 1 of the podcast's one star reviews; however, the show did receive a real, legitimate 3 star review from a listener. We wanted to address it head on and talk about the data behind the insurance position which upset someone. They, of course, save the expletive filled rage for...

Haroon has returned and has already put in for his next PTO request in November where he thought he would be visiting the European country of Belize. While discovering that being Muslim is not an ethnicity, we quickly hop on over to a warning issued by JP Morgan's CEO, Jamie Dimon. Jamie D is suggesting that it would be a "huge mistake" to think the economy will boom. Yet, at the same time, new da...

In their second show without Haroon, who continues to be out on PTO in “The Sac,” Chris and Saied decide to crack a few of their own cans during the show in order to pay homage.  Shortly after lamenting the value of Haroon’s contributions they jump in to New York City’s crackdown on Airbnb and what this could mean if other cities follow suit.  They examine the Fed’s Beige Book...

They boys open the show without Haroon who is once again out on PTO while he visits his in-laws in "Sac." They quickly jump in to a discussion regarding the changing landscape of home insurance in America. Many home insurers are starting to or have already cut natural disaster from policies as climate risks continue to mount. As a proxy, Chris and Saied leverage a Wall Street Journal article which...

It was bad enough that Michael Burry - the investor who profited from the subprime mortgage crisis by shorting the 2007 mortgage bond market - just took a $1.6 billion dollar short on the market again. Now, the man, the myth, the legend is that the great investor in world history - Warren Buffett - has just dumped $8 billion dollars of stock and is moving to a cash position. The boy think the...

The boys are off and running with shenanigans from the beginning. Haroon inadvertently opens his energy drink before the show started so he can't entertain you with his usual unnecessary interruptions, but don't worry, he filled his can with water for reasons we still don't fully understand. They spend a good amount of time recapping Jerome Powell's commentary from Jackson Hole, Wyoming which were...

After wasting an hour eating Chick-fil-A, the boys are off to a slow start this episode.  Maybe it was the unnecessary amounts of sodium.  After gaining some traction and coming out of a food coma, Chris dives in to the ideology of a “rolling recession” and what this could mean for you.  They pivot in to an interesting Yahoo! Finance article on the American retailers and restaurants...