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Published on:

16th Oct 2026

THS LIVE | An AI Debt Bomb, CoreWeave's Bond Rout, Rate Hike Fears, & Who Pays the Bill

CoreWeave's bonds just hit 16% yield — that's distress territory, folks, and it's telling you everything you need to know about where the AI boom actually stands right now. The stock is down 22% this week alone, shedding nearly $10 billion in market cap, as the bond market does what the equity crowd refuses to: price in reality. We're talking about a company with $50 billion in debt, a $626 million net loss last quarter, and net interest expenses that literally exceeded its operating income — all while the Fed just hiked in September and markets spent Monday through Thursday pricing in another move at the October 27th meeting at nearly 50/50 odds. Then Friday morning Warsh speaks at the IMF in Bangkok, says nothing, keeps his cards close, and suddenly those odds collapse to 14%. Meanwhile Warsh is out here calling AI "the most consequential economic shift" of his lifetime and warning the Fed may need to rewrite its entire monetary policy playbook — because you can't run a 1970s framework on a 2026 economy where information processing inflation is running at 13%, the highest since the 1960s.

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🔗 Resources:

Core Weave stock, bond set for weekly plunge as rate-hike fears hit AI bet (Reuters)

October Rate-Hike Odds Collapse as Warsh Keeps His Cards Close but AI Transition Looms (Benzinga News )

CoreWeave bond rout tests market's math on AI buildout (Reuters)

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About the Podcast

The Higher Standard
This isn’t a different standard, it’s the higher standard.
Welcome to the Higher Standard Podcast, where we give you ultra-premium, unfiltered truth when it comes to building your wealth and curating the lifestyle of your dreams. Your host; Chris Naghibi is here to help you distill the immense amount of information and disinformation out there on the interwebs and give you the opportunity to choose a higher standard for yourself. Sit back, relax your mind and get ready for a different kind of podcast where we elevate your baseline with crispy high-resolution audio. This isn't a different standard. It's the higher standard.

About your host

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Christopher Naghibi

Christopher M. Naghibi is the host and founder of The Higher Standard podcast — a rapidly growing media platform delivering unfiltered financial literacy, real-world entrepreneurship lessons and economic commentary for the modern era.

After nearly two decades in banking, including his most recent role as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of First Foundation Bank (NYSE: FFWM), Christopher stepped away from corporate life to build a brand rooted in truth, transparency, and modern money insights. While at First Foundation, he had executive oversight of credit, product development, depository services, retail banking, loan servicing, and commercial operations. His leadership helped scale the bank’s presence in multiple national markets from $0 to over $13 billion.

Christopher is a licensed attorney, real estate broker, and general building contractor (Class B), and he brings a rare blend of legal, operational and real estate expertise to everything he does. His early career spanned diverse lending platforms, including multifamily, commercial, private banking, and middle market lending — holding key roles at Impac Commercial Capital Corporation, U.S. Financial Services & Residential Realty, and First Fidelity Funding.

In addition to his media work, Christopher is the CEO of Black Crown Inc. and Black Crown Law APC, which oversee his private holdings and legal affairs.

He holds a Juris Doctorate from Trinity Law School, an MBA from American Heritage University, and two bachelor degrees. He is also a graduate of the Yale School of Management’s Global Executive Leadership Program.

A published author and sought-after speaker (unless it’s his son’s birthday), Christopher continues to advocate for financial empowerment. He’s worked pro bono with families in need, helped craft affordable housing programs through Habitat for Humanity, and was a founding board member of She Built This City — helping spark interest in construction and trades for women of all ages.