After a volatile August, the US share market is reaching new highs. Closer to home, the NZX50 is below the peak of 2021, but the market is showing signs of recovery. Mark Brooks joins Stephan Clark to break down the major factors shaping markets.

The crypto world has come a long way since Bitcoin's inception. From the early hype of altcoins to the rise of decentralised finance, crypto is rapidly evolving, challenging concepts of money and finance. Today, crypto is increasingly mainstream with a growing list of traditional financial institutions offering crypto products, such as exchange-traded crypto funds approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
One of the key players in this space is Binance. Founded in 2017, Binance quickly became a dominant force in the crypto industry, establishing itself as the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange and processing an impressive $76 billion in trades daily.
This week, we're excited to welcome Ben Rose, the General Manager for Binance in Australia and New Zealand. We'll be discussing Binance's role in the crypto market, the evolution of the sector, and Ben's insights on the future of crypto.

A decade ago, fintech was New Zealand's fifth-largest tech subsector, generating a modest $161 million in revenue. Today, it has rocketed to over $2.6 billion with an ever-growing list of ambitious entrepreneurs forging ahead.

This week, we're joined by Greg Shanahan, Managing Director of the Technology Investment Network (TIN), to discuss the evolution, history and future of fintech in New Zealand and TIN's newly published Fintech Report 2024.

This week Mark Brooks, Chief Investment Officer at NZ Funds will join Stephan Clark to discuss the outlook for the remainder of 2024 and how NZ Funds’ Portfolios are positioned for a second half of the year that will not be short of market moving events. Mark will talk through what the United States presidential election in November is likely to mean for NZ Funds’ investors, the prospect that interest rate cuts will be seen in New Zealand before the end of the year and why we think the bad news is well and truly priced into New Zealand shares.

Recognised by Citywire as one of the top female portfolio managers globally and the only one based in Australasia, Kate Howitt built an impressive track record over 15 years managing the Australian Opportunities Fund at Fidelity International, a global investment house with over $1 trillion under management.

Kate’s investment approach focused on finding attractively valued companies with strong competitive positions and management teams. After stepping down from Fidelity, Kate now focuses on governance and advisory roles, including at Boston Consulting Group, and remains a sought-after business commentator in Australia.

Join us as we ask Kate how she became a portfolio manager, how her investment approach evolved, why she’s optimistic about Australia’s outlook, why more women should pursue careers in financial services, and how to cut the noise and see the signals needed for investing success.

Inflation, the invisible thief, reduces the purchasing power of your money. As the cost of living increases over time, it can be a challenge to preserve the value of your savings. To address this, NZ Funds maintains the Inflation Category, a portfolio series with investments specifically selected for their ability to grow earnings above inflation over the long run. This includes global and domestic investments across infrastructure, utilities and property.

This week Mark Brooks, Chief Investment Officer, and Casey Keiper, Portfolio Manager, at NZ Funds will join Stephan Clark for a deep dive into the Inflation Category. They will discuss the role of inflation assets and defensive shares in a well-constructed diversified portfolio, explain how NZ Funds invests to mitigate the impact of inflation, and share case studies from NZ Funds' Inflation Category.

Join us for this insightful discussion on a topic front of mind for investors over recent years.

With over 500,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in New Zealand, business owners eventually face the question of selling to a third party or passing the torch to a family member. Both options come with their own set of dramatic challenges and potential for great success.

This week we join with leading experts for a panel discussion exploring the key factors SME business owners should consider when planning for succession. Our experts will discuss how to prepare a business for handover, run a successful process, obtain the right advice and bank support, appropriately value a business, and effectively manage the proceeds for the future.

Join us for this engaging discussion at a time when we are starting to see more businesses transferring to the next generation.

Financial markets often have forces pulling prices in different directions, yet there are times when they move in unison. Investors who respond to changes early and actively position their portfolio can profit from these movements. This week we discuss four market themes that are top of mind for global investors with Mark Brooks, Chief Investment Officer at NZ Funds.

We ask why the outlook for hard commodities is increasingly favourable, especially for copper? What positive steps is the Chinese Government exploring to tackle its property issues and sluggish economy? Why United States-based companies increasing their capital expenditure is a sign of optimism? And why is business activity in New Zealand even weaker than the headlines suggest?