On Point

Episodes

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  ep 409 | Is Anthropic the most important IPO of the decade? 03.11.2026 8m

  Anthropic, the company behind Claude, publicly filed its prospectus with US regulators in late October. It has applied to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ANT, in what is expected to be one of the biggest market events of the year. Will it be a sure thing, and what might determine whether this listing is a success?
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  ep 408 | The week ahead - US midterms and the New Zealand election! 31.10.2026 17m

  This will be another monster week one, with some major US economic releases, two global central bank meetings and a busy political calendar. The US midterms will be a highlight, before the New Zealand election this coming Saturday. If that wasn't enough, some 140 S&P 500 companies and many others from across the world are due to announce earnings.
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  ep 407 | Do you know what your investments are really earning? 27.10.2026 7m

  It’s not just policymakers, consumers and prospective political leaders who should pay close attention to inflation. Investors also need to be very mindful of how it can impact their holdings and erode their returns. When you’re investing, what you’re really trying to do is maintain (and hopefully grow) your purchasing power. That means you need a clear understanding of the “real” return you’re making on your money.
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  ep 406 | The week ahead - A big earnings dump and an OCR decision 23.10.2026 16m

  It's a big week ahead, with the Reserve Bank expected to hike the OCR again, as well as monetary policy decisions in the US, Europe and Japan. Earnings will also be in focus, with close to 180 S&P 500 companies due to report. We'll hear from Alphabet and Microsoft on Wednesday, as well as Amazon and Intel on Thursday and many others in the days ahead.
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  ep 405 | What if "buy the dip" stops working? 20.10.2026 8m

  We’ve seen a bit of a wobble across financial markets this last week or two. For many investors, the response to any setback has become almost automatic. You buy the dip. But what happens if that strategy stops working?
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  ep 404 | The week ahead - Can markets shake off this volatility, or is there more to come? 17.10.2026 18m

  It was a mixed week for global markets, as investors became increasingly concerned about rising oil prices and worries that tech companies were borrowing too much for the AI buildout. US crude rose another 10% finishing at US$101 a barrel, while Brent crude hit $110. The S&P 500 was down 2.0%, while the tech sector slipped 6.4% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index slumped 11.4%.
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  ep 403 | As markets hit the home stretch, what can investors expect? 13.10.2026 10m

  It’s been a strong year so far, with most sharemarkets performing well despite some volatility along the way. With just a few months to go, markets have plenty to contend with. We’ve got the stalemate in the Middle East, more interest hikes on the cards, as well as the New Zealand election and the US midterms. What should we expect, and how are markets positioned to finish the year?
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  ep 402 | The week ahead - Another cracking earnings season expected 10.10.2026 12m

  The global reporting season ramps up this week, and it’s expected to be another very strong one. We'll hear from Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo, all on Tuesday. Other companies to monitor include Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth, as well as ASML and TSMC for clues about the state of AI spending.
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  ep 401 | What’s going down with the NZ dollar? 29.09.2026 10m

  In recent weeks and months, the NZ dollar has weakenedagainst many of our trading partners. It’s doing exactly what you’d expect it to against a shifting economic backdrop and widening interest rate differentials between ourselves and other countries. What might this mean for the economy, markets and investors?
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  ep 400 | The week ahead - Treasury set to unveil the PREFU 27.09.2026 12m

  With the election just weeks away, Treasury will release the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) on Tuesday and we'll get a fresh look at the state of our collective finances. Internationally, it will be a big week of US economic releases with highlights likely to be the PCE inflation report, the ISM manufacturing index and the latest monthly jobs report.
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  ep 399 | What does a Fed hiking cycle mean for markets? 22.09.2026 8m

  The US Federal Reserve, the world’s most influentialcentral bank, has increased interest rates for the first time since 2023. With more likely to be on the way, this looks to be the beginning of another interest rate “hiking cycle”. What might this mean for markets, and what can we learn from previous hiking cycles?
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  ep 398 | The week ahead - NZ dollar slumps to a 15-year low 20.09.2026 12m

  Global flash purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) will be the highlight of the coming week, as we monitor how the global economy will enter the final quarter of the year. On the political front, investors will be watching the summit between US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington DC.
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  ep 397 | Are bonds back to the old normal? 15.09.2026 11m

  Global bond yields have kept on rising, as investors fret over higher government debt levels, rising oil prices and competition from debt issuance to fund AI infrastructure. What do investors need to know, are bonds back to the old normal, and is fixed income finally moving toward its former glory as a sustainable income option?
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  ep 396 | The week ahead - Have oil and inflation forced the Fed's hand? 12.09.2026 12m

  Global financial markets had a rough week, with an escalating situation in the Middle East pushing oil prices back over $100 and rising bond yields continuing to pressure asset prices. This week's main event will be the Federal Reserve, which will release its latest policy decision on Thursday morning (NZ time). While not a slam dunk, market pricing leans toward the first rate hike since 2023.
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  ep 395 | The week ahead - The report that could determine the Fed's next move 06.09.2026 15m

  After a much stronger than expected US jobs report last week, investors will be laser focused on the August CPI report this week. This is the last major inflation reading ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision the following week, and it could determine whether they choose to hike or hold.
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  ep 394 | Value, growth, or a bit of both? 01.09.2026 11m

  We investment types love putting things into categories or themes, and shares are no exception. Two of the most common labels are “growth” and “value”, which are terms investors have used for decades to describe different types of companies and investment styles. What do these mean, and which style is best?
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  ep 393 | The week ahead - Another OCR hike on the cards? 29.08.2026 13m

  The key event on the domestic calendar will be the latest Official Cash Rate (OCR) decision from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Another 0.25% hike is widely expected, which would take the OCR to 2.75%. This will also see the release of a fresh Monetary Policy Statement, which means a new set of forecasts for growth, inflation and the path of the OCR.
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  ep 392 | What does a tight election race mean for markets? 25.08.2026 8m

  There’s just ten weeks until the New Zealand election, and things are getting interesting. The rise of the Opportunity Party in the polls has added another layer of uncertainty to the range of potential outcomes. So much so that prediction markets and some Australian bookmakers now have Labour as the favourite to lead the next government. How have financial markets typically reacted to elections in the past?
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  ep 391 | The week ahead - Rising bond yields rattle global markets 22.08.2026 13m

  It was a highly eventful week across financial markets, with equity markets mixed and long bond yields rising further. The S&P 500 index broke a three-week winning streak while the local NZX 50 posted its third consecutive weekly rise. Central banks will be in focus this week, with the annual symposium in Jackson Hole taking place from Thursday through Saturday. The corporate calendar will also be busy everywhere, with plenty of local results due as well as the latest earnings release from NVIDIA in the US.
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  ep 390 | Are sharemarket valuations too high? 18.08.2026 6m

  There’s lots of nervousness about sharemarket valuationsat the moment. That’s understandable, especially regarding the US market which has more than tripled in value since the end of 2018. How should investors be thinking about valuations right now, and is it a good time to put capital towork?