New Zealand isn't saving enough. Here's what happens next
Nigel Grant is joined by Kirk Hope, Chief Executive of the Financial Services Council (FSC), to unpack the FSC’s Prosperity Agenda and its vision for strengthening New Zealand’s financial future. Kirk breaks down why the FSC wants KiwiSaver contributions to gradually rise to 12%, the case for automatically enrolling New Zealanders at birth, and how a larger pool of national savings could give individuals, businesses and the country more choices over time. They also explore the role of insurance in…
Why productivity matters: working smarter, reinvesting the gains and growing NZ's pie
Nigel is joined by Ben Speedy, ASB's Executive General Manager of Business Banking, to unpack why productivity matters for every New Zealander, not just economists. Ben breaks down how New Zealand's productive output compares to other economies, why an ageing population makes the productivity challenge more urgent, and why we need to think about the opportunity cost and the impact on NZ's growth if we don't balance capital flows to both housing and productive businesses. He also shares how AI adoption,…
The biases quietly costing you money, and the five-minute fix
Nigel Grant is joined by returning guest Gertjan Verdickt, Associate Professor of Finance at the University of Auckland, to unpack the behavioural biases quietly shaping how we invest. From why we chase yesterday's best-performing stocks to why investors sell their winners and hold onto their losers, Gertjan breaks down salience, overconfidence, selection neglect and loss aversion, and shares the simple habit that could help investors see their own decisions more clearly.
BlackRock mid-year global outlook: Scarcity, abundance, and the AI build-out reshaping markets
Nigel is joined by Will Porter, Investment Strategist at BlackRock, to unpack the firm's mid-year outlook and its "scarcity versus abundance" framing for the AI era. Will breaks down why the sheer scale of power, chips, materials and capital needed for AI's build-out could intensify scarcity before any productivity payoff shows up in GDP, and walks through BlackRock's six macro calls spanning growth, the cost of AI, interest rates, debt, geopolitics and US leadership. From the shift from "just-in-time"…
Fridays with Frank: Live from Queenstown, elections, inflation and AI's next rattle
Frank and Nigel broadcast from ASB Queenstown for a special on-location edition, joined by ASB senior economist Chris Tennent-Brown for his first Fridays with Frank appearance. They unpack why "challenged" is the word for where New Zealand's economy sits right now, how the AI and geopolitical fragmentation mega forces are shaping that picture, and what the upcoming election could mean for long-term strategy. Plus, why 4.1% inflation still matters for investors, and the AI market rattle sparked by the…
World Cup finance with NZ Football: The business of football, growing the game, and the cost behind it all
Nigel is joined by Tarryn McKenzie, General Manager of People, Finance and Business Transformation at NZ Football, to unpack what it actually costs to build a successful national football programme. Tarryn breaks down the multi-year investment behind qualifying for and preparing for a FIFA World Cup, from six-figure international windows to prize money structures and sponsorship opportunities, and explains how NZ Football balances funding across grassroots development, the All Whites and the Football…
Fridays with Frank: Playing the long game, portfolio formations and backing what's in form
Nigel and Frank go full tactics board this week, using England's World Cup semi-final as the launchpad for a deep dive into the strategic asset allocation process. From why going "all-defence" after a big goal rarely pays off, to finding the portfolio's star striker and building a squad where every asset covers for the next, it's a look at how the team balances attack and defence across market cycles. Plus, the week in markets: strong US bank earnings, a rough one for IBM, cooling inflation data, and…
Why growth isn't automatic, AI's rise in governance, and trust as a long-term strategy
Nigel Grant is joined by Kirsten "KP" Patterson, Chief Executive of the Institute of Directors (IOD), to explore what governing for growth could look like in an uncertain economic environment. Drawing on the IOD's latest thought leadership, KP unpacks why growth may not happen simply by waiting out the cycle, and why boards might need to actively govern for it rather than default to cost management alone.
AI tools could run your portfolio and are humans keep getting in the way?
Sophisticated portfolio tools once reserved for institutional investors may now be within reach of everyday retail traders, with AI agents able to monitor stocks and execute trades automatically. Frank and Nigel explore new academic research suggesting human intervention may be doing more harm than good for investors using these tools, and what it might take to find a genuine edge when everyone has access to the same technology.
Media, Money, and the dangers of misinformation : Damien Venuto, Stuff Money Editor
ASB Investment Podcast host Nigel Grant sits down with Damien Venuto, Money Editor at Stuff, to explore how financial media shapes the way Kiwis think about money. From the fragility gripping household sentiment right now, to the dangers of following a single financial influencer, to why holding an individual stock for years may not pay off the way you think, Damien brings a sharp, independent lens to the stories behind the numbers.
Best US quarter in 6 years, AI stocks diverge, and a Kiwi rocket company's moat play
Frank and Nigel look back at the quarter that's just wrapped. They cover why US stocks could have had their strongest quarter in six years, what's driving the growing gap between AI-adjacent stocks and everything else, and how small caps managed a rally that's caught a few people off guard. Frank also digs into Rocket Lab's recent moves and what they could suggest about building a durable competitive moat.