The Higher Standard

Democrats Sweep Congress, Dow Rips 1,200 Points as AI Stocks Crack | THS LIVE

257 views · 22h ago · 1:00:38

Washington just flipped. Democrats won both the House and the Senate overnight, with at least 54 Senate seats and new wins in Texas, Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, Maine, and both Carolinas. Futures sold off hard as the calls came in, then reversed. The Dow is now up more than 1,200 points, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are each up about 1.4%. Treasury yields are lower across the curve, the dollar is weaker against every major currency, and the VIX is down 16%.

Topics: 🎬 Intro · 📊 U.S. Market · 🗓️ Economic Calendar · 🌡️ Volatility (SVI) · 💧 Liquidity · 📉 Yield Curve

📰 Mentioned news: Article on cnn.com · Article on bloomberg.com · Article on forbes.com

Wall Street’s Dirty Little Election Secret: Here’s What It Means for Your Money. | Ep 360

379 views · 2d ago · 1:07:55

Wall Street has a dirty little election secret: since World War II, the S&P 500 has finished higher one year after every midterm election. That's 20 for 20. Coincidence, conspiracy, or just Wall Street doing what Wall Street does best? In Episode 360, Chris unpacks the midterm playbook, from the Great Bond Massacre of 1994 and Orange County's $1.64 billion bankruptcy to the Fed's $600 billion surprise in 2010 and the 2018 market meltdown.

Topics: Wall Street's dirty little election secret: the 20-for-20 phenomenon · 🗳️ Why Americans vote on Tuesdays: the surprising history · 🎰 When Wall Street gambled on elections: from 1900 to Kalshi · 📈 The midterm market playbook: 20 elections, 20 stock market gains · 📉 Why midterm years punish investors before rewarding them · 💥 The 1994 bond massacre: Fed rate hikes and Orange County's $1.64B bankruptcy

📰 Mentioned news: Article on fortune.com

Brent Drops to $104, 10-Year to 4.88% & What We Know About Iran | THS LIVE

164 views · 3d ago · 44:14

Oil blinked, but nobody here believes it. Brent has dropped to about $105 from $115 going into Friday's show, and the 10-year slid to 4.88%, a one-month low, yet the Nasdaq 100 is flat at 28,515 after the $5 trillion AI wipeout. Why the calm? Trump is mulling "another little Epic Fury" after Tuesday's midterms, a third carrier is heading to the region, and Khamenei ordered a response "without any geographical limitations," including financial assets.

Topics: 🎬 Intro · 📊 U.S. Market · 🗓️ Economic Calendar · 🌡️ Volatility (SVI) · 💧 Liquidity · 📉 Yield Curve

📰 Mentioned news: Article on fortune.com

Brent Tags $118 as Nasdaq 100 Slides 3.8% & Bracing for Post-Midterm Strikes | THS LIVE

296 views · 6d ago · 1:00:24

Brent futures tagged $118 early this morning, a six-month high, and the Nasdaq 100 is down 3.8% since we last went live Wednesday, sitting at 28,518, its lowest level in a month. Fresh attacks on ships in Hormuz and Saudi energy assets, Trump getting briefed on military options, and a Vance letter Iran hasn't answered: everyone is positioning for the Tuesday after the midterms.

Topics: 🎬 Intro · 📊 U.S. Market · 🗓️ Economic Calendar · 🌡️ Volatility (SVI) · 💧 Liquidity · 📉 Yield Curve

📰 Mentioned news: Article on cnbc.com · Article on wsj.com

Live Coverage of the Fed Rate Decision & the Post-Decision Press Conference | THS LIVE

538 views · 1w ago · 1:33:39

The Fed announces its decision at 11 AM PT, right as we go live, and the setup is ugly. Markets price under a 10% chance of a hike after September's first one in three years, but inflation has gotten worse since: September CPI hit 3.7%, and PCE is due tomorrow with the headline expected to jump to 3.7% from 3.4%. Traders already pencil in a December hike. Overnight the Bank of Canada hiked to 2.5% and said more could be needed, with oil as the driver.

Topics: 🎬 Intro & LIVE FOMC Coverage · 📊 U.S. Market · 🗓️ Economic Calendar · 🌡️ Volatility (SVI) · 💧 Liquidity · 📉 Yield Curve

📰 Mentioned news: Article on cnbc.com · Article on businessinsider.com · Article on bloomberg.com · Article on reuters.com

America Became a Casino: Kalshi, Polymarket, Pokémon Cards & the New Gambling Economy | Ep 359

801 views · 1w ago · 1:35:16

America didn’t just start gambling more. It turned everything into a wager. Americans lost roughly $165 billion to legal gambling in 2025—before Pokémon cards, same-day options, or prediction markets. In Episode 359, we connect Labubus, Rolexes, exotic cars, and trading-card mania to a squeezed consumer chasing shortcuts to wealth.

Topics: 🚨 America became a casino: Pokémon cards, luxury cars & the new economy · 🎰 $165 billion lost to the house: America's gambling boom · 💸 The consumer squeeze: falling real wages, thin savings & financial stress · 🏠 Priced out: housing, expensive stocks & the locked front door · 🎲 Financial nihilism: why younger Americans are chasing speculative returns · 🃏 Pokémon cards: the collectibles boom and the first cracks

Anthropic Files for IPO, Meta Plans $95B Raise & Tesla & SpaceX Merger Talk | THS LIVE

360 views · 1w ago · 59:29

The AI arms race just entered a new phase. Anthropic officially filed for its IPO, revealing the extraordinary economics and capital demands behind one of AI's biggest players. Meta is preparing to raise up to $95 billion in fresh equity to keep its AI expansion alive, raising questions about dilution, debt and who's financing the boom. Meanwhile, Tesla is surging after Barclays upgraded the stock and raised its price target to $450, citing a potential merger with SpaceX.

Topics: 🎬 Intro · 📊 U.S. Market · 🗓️ Economic Calendar · 🌡️ Volatility (SVI) · 💧 Liquidity · 📉 Yield Curve

📰 Mentioned news: Article on reuters.com