“This is a very, very bad thing. The country did not need a currency that was good for kidnappers. There are people who think they’ve got to be on every deal that’s hot. I think that’s totally crazy. They don’t care whether it’s child prostitution or bitcoin.” So says Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman and a longtime cryptocurrency skeptic. He went on to declare that the space is rife with fraud and delusion, and regulators have dropped the ball by not outlawing bitcoin and other digital assets.

In today's episode of The Higher Standard, Chris and Saied take a look at Munger's vehement criticisms and try to determine if his thoughts are valid, and whether or not regulators have indeed failed to provide proper oversight.

They discuss the Federal Reserve's meeting in February and offer some thoughts on whether or not there will be another rate increase at that time.

Chris and Saied examine why government spending has a tremendous impact on GDP, but surprisingly on core inflation numbers.

They also discuss a recent article in which Amazon founder Jeff Bezos advises consumers and businesses to delay purchases and stockpile cash to prepare for a devastating downturn.

Join Chris and Saied for this fascinating conversation.

Enjoy!

What You’ll Learn in this Show:

• Why Charlie Munger's longtime criticism of cryptocurrency has reached new levels of virulence in light of the recent implosion of FTX.
• The incredible wave of layoffs rolling across the country, particularly in the tech industry.
• Why the US has just 25 days of diesel supply remaining — the lowest level since 2008.
• Why Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller believes that financial markets have overreacted to the softer-than-expected October consumer price inflation data released last week.
• And so much more...

Resources:

"Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet’s right-hand man, rips into cryptocurrency after FTX collapse, saying it’s good for ‘kidnappers’" (article from Fortune)

"A Six-Figure Income Is Needed Just to Afford the Typical US Home" (article from Bloomberg)

"Mortgage Lenders Vie to Be ‘Last Man Standing’ as Rates Soar" (article from Bloomberg)

"Amazon founder Jeff Bezos warns a recession is looming - and Americans should 'prepare for the worst'" (article from Markets Insider)

"Congress seeks to arm Taiwan quickly as China threat grows" (article from the Washington Post)

"United States Government Spending To GDP" (chart from Trading Economics)

"Fed’s Waller says market has overreacted to consumer inflation data: ‘We’ve got a long, long way to go’" (article from Yahoo! Finance)

"Musk Says Everyone Thought FTX's Bankman-Fried Was 'Walking on Water'" (article from The Street)

"Inflation Isn’t Going Anywhere. History Says It Could Take a Decade to Get Back to Normal" (article from Barron's)

"Amazon reportedly plans to lay off about 10,000 employees starting this week" (article from CNBC)

"The US has just 25 days of diesel supply — the lowest since 2008. Here's why that's more alarming than a dwindling 'oil piggy bank'" (article from Yahoo! Finance)

"System Open Market Account Holdings of Domestic Securities" (information via The Federal Reserve Bank of New York)