Banks flag a housing slowdown, AI won’t pick your stocks & Ren’s portfolio reviewed

Australian housing is cooling, investors are stepping back, but the big banks are still making billions. Bryce & Ren unpack what the latest lending data actually tells us about house prices, before looking at the extraordinary collapse in diamond prices. Then, they answer a community question on finding stock ideas & using AI in the investing process, followed by running Ren’s stocks through an AI-powered thesis check.In this episode:00:00 Are Australian house prices really crashing?02:08 Housing slows as home loan applications fall08:03 Lab-grown diamonds disrupt a century-old market12:51 How do you actually find great stock ideas?18:01 Using AI to research and stress-test investments23:17 Putting Ren’s portfolio through Claude26:39 Is the Hims & Hers thesis broken?29:05 Pro Medicus, valuation and knowing AI’s limitsStocks & ETFs Mentioned: Commonwealth Bank (ASX: CBA), Westpac (ASX: WBC), ANZ (ASX: ANZ), National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB), Anglo American (LSE: AAL), Axon Enterprise (NASDAQ: AXON), Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP), Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Hims & Hers Health (NYSE: HIMS), Pro Medicus (ASX: PME), MercadoLibre (NASDAQ: MELI), Spotify (NYSE: SPOT), Mastercard (NYSE: MA)———Want to get involved in the podcast? Record a voice note or send us a messageAnd come and join the conversation in the Equity Mates Facebook Discussion Group.———Want more Equity Mates? Across books, podcasts, video and email, however you want to learn about investing – we’ve got you covered.Keep up with the news moving markets with our daily newsletter and podcast (Apple | Spotify)We’re particularly excited to share our latest show: Basis PointsListen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify)Watch on YouTubeRead the monthly email———Looking for some of our favourite research tools?Download our free Basics of ETF handbookOr our free 4-step stock checklistFind company information on TIKRResearch reports from Good ResearchTrack your portfolio with Sharesight———This podcast is intended for education and entertainment purposes only. Any advice is general advice and has not taken into account your personal financial circumstances. Before acting on general advice, you should consider if it is relevant to your needs. If unsure, speak to a financial professional. The host of this podcast and their guests may have positions in the companies mentioned. Equity Mates Media is part of the Betashares Group but maintains editorial independence and operates under Australian Financial Services licence 540697. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.