Financial Thought Exchange Podcast

In Part 2, Francesco Fabozzi, PhD—Managing Editor of the Journal of Financial Data Science—joins host Lotta Moberg, CFA, PhD, to explore how modern NLP and large language models are reshaping investment management. Building on the technical foundations from Part 1, this episode turns to real-world applications: when to fine‑tune models versus rely on prompt engineering, how retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) keeps models current with fast‑changing financial information, and why agentic systems are emerging as powerful tools for research automation. Fabozzi explains practical use cases ranging from sentiment‑driven return prediction to efficient knowledge‑distillation workflows, research assistants that read earnings reports, and coding agents that help back‑test investment ideas. The discussion closes with a look at where innovation is headed, including the potential of "general price transformers" for market forecasting. This episode is essential for anyone applying AI within investment processes.

What is Financial Thought Exchange Podcast?

The Financial Thought Exchange Podcast offers listeners invaluable insights from top financial thought leaders across various sectors. Whether you're a financial analyst, investor, or simply interested in the "inside baseball" of the financial world, this podcast provides access to some of the most influential people shaping the industry.

Brought to you by the CFA Institute Research Foundation, the Financial Thought Exchange is your go-to resource for staying informed and gaining a deeper understanding of the finance industry's most pressing topics. Tune in for interviews with industry pioneers, expert analyses, and actionable insights you can apply in your own financial journey.

Financial Thought Exchange is the official podcast and video channel of the CFA Institute Research Foundation.

Check out our peer-reviewed research here: https://rpc.cfainstitute.org/en/research