Fast Five | 15 Jan 2026

Thursday 15 January 2026 The top five business stories in five minutes, with Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Alphabet hits $US4 trillion Coalition baulks at hate laws Rents set to stabilise Record year for ETFs China’s trade surplus hits record Join our free daily newsletter here. And don’t mi…

Kmart's Anko and Bunnings: Wesfarmers' secret sauce

Wesfarmers is one of the most remarkable success stories on the ASX - a diversified conglomerate thriving in a world where many have failed. Sean Aylmer speaks with Gaurav Sodhi, Deputy Head of Research at Intelligent Investor, about what makes Wesfarmers different. From the extraordinary rise of K…

Fast Five | 13 Jan 2026

Wednesday 14 January 2026 The top five business stories in five minutes, with Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Aussie housing hits $12.3 tr Kevin Rudd steps down as US ambassador Endeavour to compete on price Woolies AI for shoppers World’s fastest growing app Join our free daily newsletter here…

Are we in an AI bubble?

AI has powered markets higher - but is the boom already close to its peak? Sean Aylmer speaks with Roger Montgomery, founder and chief investment officer of Montgomery Investment Management, about whether the world is nearing the end of an AI bubble. Roger explains how past technology booms have pl…

Fast Five | 13 Jan 2026

Tuesday 13 January 2026 The top five business stories in five minutes, with Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Parliament recalled for hate speech laws Surge in household spending Meta cans 540k users Trump administration goes after Jerome Powell Superman comic $22m sale Join our free daily newsle…

What inflation (and interest rates) will do this year

At one point in 2025, it looked like inflation had been beaten. Sean Aylmer speaks with Westpac Chief Economist Luci Ellis about what surprised economists late in the year, how much of the rise in inflation is “noise” versus something more persistent, and what this means for the Reserve Bank and We…

Fast Five | 12 Jan 2026

Monday 12 January 2026 The top five business stories in five minutes, with Sean Aylmer and Michael Thompson. Fire, floods disasters BHP closes on CBA as top stock Rate cut guessing game Rio Tinto and Glencore in megamerger talks $13b bid for Bluescope Steel Join our free daily newsletter here. A…

The best family holidays in 2026

Travelling with kids can be magical - if you pick the right trip. Michael Thompson speaks with Luke Humphries from Luxury Escapes about the best family holiday ideas for 2026 - from local theme parks, to international destinations. This episode is brought to you by Luxury Escapes. Fear & Greed's s…

K-pop: the hit factory investors want in on

Thanks to a record-breaking Netflix film, K-pop has had a breakout year,  and it’s creating some unusual investing opportunities. Michael Thompson speaks with Stefan von Imhof, co-founder of alternative investing community fund Alts.co, about how K-pop is manufactured for global success - from gove…

Why podcasting has gone mainstream

Podcasting has grown from a niche format into a mass medium. Michael Thompson speaks with Tim Burrowes from Mumbrella and Unmade about why podcasts succeeded where other digital formats stalled, how advertisers are using them, the shift toward video, and whether AI poses a threat. This is Fear & G…