Equity Mates Investing Podcast

Will humanoid robots become household appliances? Will AI agents replace keyboards, book our travel, and make decisions on our behalf? In this episode, Alex Pollak from Loftus Peak helps us think through the probabilities of an AI-powered future, from drug discovery and autonomy to the companies best placed to win if it all plays out.

This episode has been sponsored by Loftus Peak. Support from partners like Loftus Peak help us keep all of our content free.

If you want to learn more about Loftus Peak's Global Disruption active ETF (ASX:LGPD) head here.

In this episode:
00:00 Why now is the time to talk AI disruption again
2:49 Alex Pollak joins: from journalism to investing
6:58 Nvidia, AI winners and the software selloff
12:25 Old economy vs AI: China, CATL, BYD and where diversification is coming from
22:55 Humanoid robots, robo-taxis and other big AI predictions
34:35 Skynet, existential risk and the darker side of AI
36:03 The best company Alex has ever seen
37:15 Podcasts, resources and advice for young investors

Stocks and ETFs mentioned: Loftus Peak Global Disruption Active ETF (ASX: LPGD), Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO), AMD (NASDAQ: AMD), Pro Medicus (ASX: PME), Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), DoorDash (NASDAQ: DASH), Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER), Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI), CATL, BYD (HKG: 1211), Xiaomi (HKG: 1810), Tencent (HKG: 0700), Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA), Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY), Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Deere & Company (NYSE: DE), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Unitree Robotics, ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML)

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Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message

And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

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Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.

Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)

We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the hosts of Equity Mates Investing acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.

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Equity Mates Investing is a product of Equity Mates Media.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

McDonald's is no longer the largest restaurant chain, and a new “Halo Trade” has investors flocking to boring, old-school stocks. Then, we help a listener with a tough decision: when to sell underperforming stocks.

PLUS: Calling all bulls, bears and party animals!

The market is closed, the bar is open. Come trade ideas at FinFest – Australia’s largest finance festival.

Join us on Saturday 24 October in Sydney at Carriageworks for a day designed to prove that finance doesn’t have to be boring. We believe investing is a life skill everybody should have. FinFest is here to make learning it fun.

You’ll hear from some of Australia’s best investors, business leaders and entrepreneurs, take part in educational sessions and connect with thousands of like-minded people – all while enjoying bars, food and entertainment.

Leave inspired, better informed, and ready to take the next step on your investing journey.

Register your interest for early bird tickets at equitymates.com/finfest

In this episode:
00:00 FinFest 2026 announcement!
3:00 McDonald's dethroned by Mixue: The rise of bubble tea
7:04 Mixue’s business model vs McDonald’s
9:15 The "Halo Trade" & the battle of boring stocks
11:00 Why boring stocks are outperforming tech
13:10 Investors are panicked over AI disruption
16:30 Opportunity cost: When to sell a stock
23:00 When should you cut losses in your portfolio?

Stocks & ETFs mentioned in this episode:
McDonald's (NYSE: MCD), Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), Walmart (NYSE: WMT), Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT), Target (NYSE: TGT), Hershey (NYSE: HSY), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL), Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI), ProMedicus (ASX: PME), Algorand (ALGO), Wix (NASDAQ: WIX).

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Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message
And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.

Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)

We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the hosts of Equity Mates Investing acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.

———

Equity Mates Investing is a product of Equity Mates Media.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AI is breaking software, geopolitics is dominating headlines, and investors are trying to work out what actually matters.

Todd Hoare from LGT Wealth Management explains why disruption can be bullish, where the real productivity dividend from AI is showing up, and how to build portfolios that can survive not just the next five years but the next generation.

In this episode:
00:00 What Australia can learn from New York, Hong Kong and global markets
5:08 Iran, geopolitics and whether portfolios should change
10:36 Why AI disruption is bullish
17:39 Has software bottomed? Where AI is really creating winners and losers
22:13 Real-world AI productivity: from freight to finance
33:49 Building portfolios for the truly long term
42:55 The best businesses, best resources and advice for young investors

Stocks & ETFs mentioned in this episode: Atlassian (NASDAQ: TEAM), Trello, Pro Medicus (ASX: PME), Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI), Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), monday.com (NASDAQ: MNDY), Xero (ASX: XRO), Block (NYSE: XYZ), Wisetech Global (ASX: WTC), C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ: CHRW), ASML Holding (NASDAQ: ASML), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B).

———

Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message
And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.

Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)

We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the hosts of Equity Mates Investing acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.

———

Equity Mates Investing is a product of Equity Mates Media.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There’s a lot happening in the world right now, but we have one message: don’t panic sell! Bryce and Ren unpack why markets have historically held up through geopolitical shocks, reveal the first sale in the community portfolio, and break down what “emerging markets” actually means because for most investors, it’s probably not what they think.

In this episode:
00:00 Iran, markets and why you shouldn’t panic sell
6:14 Australian GDP: when good news is bad news
7:59 Tim Wilson’s BBOZ disaster
10:47 Community Portfolio update: first sale + where performance sits
13:22 James pitches LinQ Minerals (LNQ)
19:21 Emerging Markets 101: what they are and why they’re ripping
34:55 How to invest in emerging markets without doubling up

Stocks & ETFs mentioned: Betashares Australian Equities Strong Bear Hedge Fund (ASX: BBOZ), Nanoveu (ASX: NVU), Global X Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure ETF (ASX: AIQ), LinQ Minerals (ASX: LNQ), Betashares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200), Betashares Global Shares ETF (ASX: BGBL), iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (ASX: IEM), Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Shares ETF (ASX: VGE), VanEck MSCI Multifactor Emerging Markets Equity ETF (ASX: EMKT), Vanguard FTSE Asia ex Japan Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAE), Betashares Emerging Markets Complex ETF (ASX: BEMG), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM), Samsung Electronics (KRX: 005930), Tencent (HKG: 0700), Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA), SK Hynix (KRX: 000660), HDFC Bank (NSE: HDFCBANK), Reliance Industries (NSE: RELIANCE), MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI), Nu Holdings (NYSE: NU), DLocal (NASDAQ: DLO).

———

Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message
And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.

———

Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.

Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)

We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis Points
Listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)
Watch on YouTube
Read the monthly email

———

Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Research reports from Good Research
Track your portfolio with Sharesight

———

In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the hosts of Equity Mates Investing acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.

———

Equity Mates Investing is a product of Equity Mates Media.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if AI turns out to be less “bubble vs boom” and more a stress test for who can actually turn $660 billion of capex into revenue?

Ben Arnold, Investment Director, Global Equities at Schroders shares the framework his team is using to judge the AI spend and why 2026 is a reminder that your opportunity set is much bigger than the Mag 7.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Investing Beyond The Mag Seven
00:03:34 AI Spending: Boom Or Bubble?
00:10:01 Why This Isn’t Another Dotcom
00:19:32 Finding Opportunities At Market Highs
00:25:31 Two Global Stocks With Upside
00:36:51 One Exceptional Company Explained

Links Mentioned: 🎧 listen to our interview with Portfolio Manager Frank Thormann from Sept, 2025

Stocks and ETFs mentioned:
Schroder Global Equity Alpha Fund (ASX: ALPH)
Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL)
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL)
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN)
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA)
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO)
Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE: ANET)
Monster Beverage Corporation (NASDAQ: MNST)
Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS)
Tesco PLC (LSE: TSCO)
GSK plc (LSE: GSK)
AstraZeneca PLC (LSE: AZN)
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)
Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE: TPR)
Zoom Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM)

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This episode is sponsored by Schroders.
You can also find information on investing in the Schroder Global Equity Alpha Fund (ASX: ALPH) here.
————
Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a message
And come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.
———
Want more Equity Mates?
Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.
Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)
———
Looking for some of our favourite research tools?
Download our free Basics of ETF handbook
Or our free 4-step stock checklist
Find company information on TIKR
Screen the market with GuruFocus
Track your portfolio with Sharesight
———
In the spirit of reconciliation, Equity Mates Media and the hosts of Equity Mates Investing acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people today.
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Equity Mates Investing is a product of Equity Mates Media.
This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes. Any advice is general advice only, and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances, needs or objectives. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. And if you are unsure, please speak to a financial professional.
Equity Mates Media operates under Australian Financial Services Licence 540697.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.