Basis Points

China's economy is splitting in two, and the investment opportunities aren't necessarily where you'd expect.

While property investment has plunged and consumer spending has stalled, AI, advanced manufacturing and robotics are booming.

Stillpoint Investments' Eric Wong joins Ally Selby to unpack China's K-shaped economy, why some of the most interesting stocks are hiding in struggling sectors, and what Western investors are missing about the world's second-largest economy. Plus, how Chinese manufacturers are navigating US tariffs, why political risk isn't unique to China, and whether China's lead in robotics can last.

Chapters:
00:00 China’s Two-Speed Economy
01:37 China’s Economic Outlook
05:43 Is China Investible?
09:00 US–China Tensions and Opportunity
12:23 What Headlines Miss
16:22 Slower Growth, Sharper Differences
18:08 China’s K-Shaped Consumer
22:27 Overlooked Stock Opportunities
25:16 Chinese Manufacturing Moves to Mexico
31:30 China’s AI Frenzy
35:49 The Race for Cheaper AI
38:02 China’s Robotics Lead

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned:
JOYY Inc. (NASDAQ: JOYY), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Ferrari (NYSE: RACE), NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA)

FinFest Industry day is nearly here! Come join us on the 23rd October 2026. Register your interest here.

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.75 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Economic Environment (0.75 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: General (0.75 hour)

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Basis Points 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.

Fundamental stock picking is losing ground to systematic investing. But does that mean traditional active management is dead?

Dr David Allen, Head of Long Short Strategies and Co-Head of Research at Plato Investment Management, joins Ally to explain how systematic managers are using data, technology and AI to find opportunities across thousands of companies.

He takes us inside Plato's investment process, including the 154 red flags the team uses to identify short opportunities.

Plus, David explains why diversification can improve returns when systematic strategies struggle, and the one metric he believes every adviser should use when assessing quantitative managers.

Chapters:
00:00 Is Fundamental Investing Dead?
01:52 Why Traditional Stock Picking Is Changing
04:20 Inside the Black Box of Systematic Investing
07:25 Plato's 154 Red Flags for Identifying Risky Stocks
13:09 Separating Genuine Investment Signals From Noise
17:06 How Plato Uses AI to Analyse Markets
19:29 The Red Flags Emerging in Markets Today
25:34 Diversification, Performance and Choosing a Quant Manager

Stocks and Funds Mentioned:

Plato Global Alpha Fund, Echo IQ (ASX: EIQ), Allbirds (NASDAQ: BIRD), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), DroneShield (ASX: DRO), Cettire (ASX: CTT), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA), GQG Partners (ASX: GQG), IBM (NYSE: IBM)

CPD Points: This episode is accredited by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the CPD quiz ___ to claim your points.

Knowledge Requirements: Managed Investments (0.50 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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Want more Basis Points?

Sign up to the Basis Points email
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Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

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Basis Points 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.

It was once a given that investing across a variety of asset classes, meant you were diversified.

Today’s guest believes that may no longer be the case.

AI for example touches debt, equities and infrastructure.

When the old asset-class labels no longer explain the risks and opportunities, what should advisers change in client portfolios?

John Woods, the Deputy Chief Investment Officer and Head of Multi-Asset at Australian Ethical Investment shares the portfolio audit that every adviser should run to ensure clients are properly diversified.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
03:15 When Asset Classes Overlap
05:59 Auditing Portfolio Risk
09:43 Themes with Staying Power
13:05 Resources and Spotting Hype
16:23 Ethical Investing and Risk
18:28 Opportunity in Infrastructure
20:23 Private Markets and Portfolio Fit
21:43 Three Checks for Advisers
23:23 Renewable Energy Meets AI Demand

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned:

Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG, GOOGL), TSMC (NYSE: TSM; TWSE: 2330), Sandfire Resources (ASX: SFR), Capstone Copper (ASX: CSC), Kodak (NYSE: KODK), Allbirds, now Smartbird (NASDAQ: BIRD), GoPro (NASDAQ: GPRO)

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Financial Planning (0.25 hour), Managed Investments (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by Australian Ethical.

To learn more, visit AustralianEthical.com.au

Please read the PDS and TMD to consider if the product is right for you. Issued by Australian Ethical Investment Limited ABN 47 003 188 930, AFSL 229949.

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Want more Basis Points?

Sign up to the Basis Points email
Join the conversation on LinkedIn
Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

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Basis Points 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.

Jason Entwistle is worried. Australian advisers have one of the highest AI adoption rates in the world at a time when there are so many "shiny new toys” coming out.

But he sees a real risk to the speed of this adoption. Taking up AI tools without enough DD could lead the industry to “end up in a bit of a scandal where data has ended up in the wrong spot,” giving the regulator another reason to intervene.

So how can advisers still change with the times without risking their business?

Jason joins Ally to explain why he thinks nailing your data and processes is the key.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:45 Why Advisers Should Take AI Slowly
00:04:51 The Future of Financial Advice
00:07:10 The Risks of Getting AI Wrong
00:10:00 Which AI Start-ups Will Survive?
00:14:06 How Platforms Will Use AI
00:16:31 Keeping Client Data Secure
00:21:17 Building MyHub for the Industry
00:26:37 MyHub’s Launch, Pricing and Partners
00:31:17 AI Adoption and Advice Productivity

This episode was recorded on 17th of September 2026.

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.
0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Generic Knowledge (0.25 hour), Practice Management (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Client Care & Practice (0.25 hour), General (0.25 hour)

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Want more Basis Points?
Sign up to the Basis Points email
Join the conversation on LinkedIn
Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

———

Basis Points 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.

The world’s biggest technology companies are burning through their once-abundant cash reserves to fund the AI arms race.

Increasingly, they’re turning to debt markets to fund the buildout.

That means the most speculative part of the market is finding its way into defensives.

So what does that mean for advisers and their clients?

Fixed Income Director at Capital Group, Haran Karunakaran, joins Ally to explain:

What previous debt-fuelled booms can teach us
The warning signs emerging in credit markets
Why this cycle could still play out differently

Chapters:

00:00 AI’s Debt-Fuelled Boom
03:53 Lessons From Past Bubbles
05:57 Cracks in Credit Markets
09:12 Is Credit an AI Hedge?
12:08 How Credit Investors Analyse AI
13:46 What Separates Hyperscalers
17:29 Are AI Bonds Attractive?
20:09 Beyond the AI Trade
22:52 Credit’s Biggest Risks
25:50 Where Credit Looks Attractive
28:18 Rethinking Defensive Allocations

📈 Stocks and ETFs Mentioned: Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META)

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CPD Points: This episode is accredited for the following CPD points by the Financial Advice Association of Australia (FAAA). Complete the quiz here to claim your points.

0.5 Total Hours

Knowledge Requirements: Fixed Interest (0.25 hour), Managed Investments (0.25 hour)

Legislated CPD Area: Technical Competence (0.50 hour)

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This episode has been sponsored by Capital Group. To find out more about Capital Group and their funds, head to their website: https://www.capitalgroup.com/intermediaries/au/en/

Thanks to Capital Group for supporting this episode of Basis Points and helping to keep our content free.

Disclaimer: Past results are not a guarantee of future results. This information has been provided solely for informational purposes and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, or a recommendation to buy or sell any security or instrument listed herein. Statements attributed to an individual represent the opinions of that individual as of the date published and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Capital Group or its affiliates. The information provided is not intended to be comprehensive or to provide advice.

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Want more Basis Points?

Sign up to the Basis Points email
Join the conversation on LinkedIn
Watch all episodes in full and relive some of our favourite clips on YouTube

———

Basis Points 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.