Q+A

australia could be facing one of the strongest el niño events on record, bringing the risk of drought, bushfires and higher food prices. but the economic consequences could extend much further, adding to inflationary pressures at an already difficult time for the economy.

sean aylmer speaks with paul bloxham, chief economist for australia, new zealand and global commodities at hsbc, about the potential impact on agriculture, global food prices, insurance costs and government finances - and why another inflation shock could force the reserve bank to raise interest rates again.

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australia's economy is slowing, unemployment is rising, and yet inflation remains stubbornly high. it's an uncomfortable combination for the reserve bank, which is trying to work out whether four interest rate rises have done enough to bring inflation under control.

sean aylmer speaks with sally auld, chief economist at nab, about the week ahead for the economy, as well as last week's jump in unemployment to 4.7 per cent, which sectors are holding up and which are struggling, and why nab believes interest rates may have peaked. they also answer a listener question about why education costs remain such a persistent contributor to inflation.

the week ahead with nab is brought to you by national australia bank

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what does it take to turn magic into a serious business? for scott zhou, it meant dropping out of a commerce/law degree, building a team of professional magicians, and finding a way to sell something people really need to experience to understand.

sean aylmer speaks with scott, ceo of the black ties, about building a business generating roughly $700,000 a year, why marketing matters as much as the magic itself, and his ambition to create australia's own version of hollywood's famous magic castle. scott also performs a trick that leaves sean completely baffled.

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australia has a shortage of financial advisers, just as more people need help planning for retirement and managing their wealth. could artificial intelligence help close the gap - without replacing the human adviser?

sean aylmer speaks with liz mccarthy, ceo of mlc expand, about how ai is transforming financial advice, the extraordinary productivity gains already being achieved, and what the relationship between advisers and their clients could look like in five years.

this episode is part of a weekly series in partnership with mlc expand, exploring retirement, investing, financial advice and the future of wealth management.

this is general information only. always seek advice tailored to your circumstances before making investment decisions.

find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/

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australian small businesses are embracing artificial intelligence, and according to microsoft, they're ahead of many other countries. but as ai becomes more powerful, what happens to businesses that are slow to adopt it?

sean aylmer speaks with ralph haupter, microsoft's executive vice president and chief revenue officer for small and medium enterprises and channel, about australia's ai adoption, why smaller businesses can move faster than large corporations, and how ai is creating opportunities to grow revenue, not just cut costs. they also discuss the competitive cost of waiting, the importance of customer trust, and the one thing business owners should do this week to get started.

this is the final interview in fear & greed's ai tour series with microsoft, a supporter of the podcast.

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artificial intelligence can solve complex problems and identify patterns that humans might miss. but can it actually predict which investments will outperform?

sean aylmer speaks with slava platkov, senior investment director at dimensional, about new research testing machine learning models across global markets. they discuss why predicting returns is so difficult, why successful forecasts don't necessarily translate into investment profits, and where ai can genuinely help investors.

this is general information only. you should seek professional advice tailored to your circumstances before making investment decisions.

find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/

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text messaging has traditionally been a marketing tool for businesses. but it's increasingly becoming a way to manage appointments, deliveries, customer service and even sales — with the potential to save businesses time and money.

sean aylmer speaks with andrea topping, vice president, product applications at sinch, about the shift towards two-way customer conversations, the importance of trusted and verified messaging, and why businesses need to think beyond traditional marketing campaigns.

this is the third and final interview in our series with sinch, a supporter of fear & greed.

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cyber attacks can cost a business far more than lost data. they can disrupt operations, damage client relationships and consume enormous amounts of time — and for accountants and financial advisers handling sensitive information, the stakes are particularly high.

recorded at class ignite 2026, sean aylmer speaks with lydia pearson, head of growth solutions at myprosperity; nathan steiner, senior director of solution consulting at docusign; and greg hansen, executive group strategy at hub24. they discuss why email remains such a significant vulnerability, how client portals can improve both security and customer experience, and where a small business should start when its cybersecurity budget is limited.

this episode was recorded at class ignite 2026. class is a supporter of fear & greed.

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australians expect organisations to behave with integrity and accountability. but the new 2026 australian governance index reveals a substantial gap between those expectations and what people believe they're actually seeing, with 43 per cent of australians saying organisational behaviour has become worse in recent years.

sean aylmer speaks with katrina horrobin, ceo of the governance institute of australia, and matt rowley, partner at strategic advisory firm general strategic, about what's driving the governance gap, why expectations differ between sectors, and what businesses can actually do about it. they also discuss ai governance, the importance of human judgement, and why organisations need to think beyond their traditional "social licence".

the governance institute of australia is a supporter of fear & greed.

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crypto has rallied strongly, but regulatory uncertainty remains after the us senate failed to pass the clarity act. so where does bitcoin fit in portfolios now - and how are the big institutional investors thinking about it?

sean aylmer speaks with john d’agostino, head of institutional strategy at coinbase, about regulation, bitcoin’s role in portfolio construction, and why he believes crypto is already mainstream in awareness, but still very early when it comes to actual adoption.

coinbase is a supporter of fear & greed.

this is general information only, and you should seek advice tailored to your circumstances before making investment decisions.

find out more: https://fearandgreed.com.au/

see omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.