Smart Prompting > Smart AI Assistants: What Still Sets You Apart in Finance

Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants flood the finance world, but the true advantage isn’t in having AI, but rather it’s in how you wield it. In other words, the sharpness of your questions defines your edge.

Welcome back to AI in Investment Research & Finance, your weekly lens on markets, research workflows and high-impact prompting.

Table of Contents

• 3 Prompts to Push Past the Obvious

  • Message From Our Partner: FinanceBuzz - Your Guide …

    • ETF Spotlight: NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF (QAI)

    • AI Career Moves: Exciting AI Jobs This Week

    • AI in Markets: Key Trends & Upcoming Events

In recent issues, we’ve explored value strategies to macro signals and exchange-traded fund (ETF) positioning, spotlighting funds like MOAT, SPLV, JEPI, GLD, BITO, EDOG, AIQ, QGRW, and MOAT. We’ve also shown how analysts and fund marketers use large language models (LLMs) to turn raw data into sharper content.

Now, the next wave is here: AI assistants are going mainstream.

🔹 Barclays is teaming up with Microsoft and NVIDIA to build internal copilots
🔹 Revolut is launching a financial decision-making assistant
🔹 UBS is testing AI-generated analyst avatars

Yet, the flashiest AI can’t potentially replace nuanced judgment grounded in smart inquiry. Here’s the reality: AI can generate answers fast, but it may easily miss the subtlety that separates good finance from great finance. That’s why mastering prompt design is your secret weapon.

🧪 3 Prompts to Push Past the Obvious

These prompts aren’t quick fixes. They help us think more clearly, challenge assumptions, and surface insights we might miss otherwise. In finance, thoughtful prompting gives us an edge.

We’d love to hear how they work for you.

📌 Prompt 1: Think Like a Fiduciary, Act Like an Advisor

Assume the role of a U.S. fiduciary advisor. For a client aged 62 with $600K in diversified assets, model how market volatility, inflation trends and withdrawal strategies impact portfolio sustainability over 20 years. Factor in behavioral biases and risk tolerance.

💡 Why it works: Combines personalization with scenario analysis and behavioral finance, delivering insights beyond standard projections.

📌 Prompt 2: From Headlines to Deep Dives

Analyze Barclays’ recent AI partnership with Microsoft and NVIDIA. Identify potential operational, governance and reputational risks that could affect long-term performance and investor confidence. Assess how these factors might influence Barclay stock’s valuation and the company's competitive stance.

💡 Why it works: Transforms news into actionable risk and valuation analysis, pushing beyond surface-level summaries.

📌 Prompt 3: Pinpoint Regional Winners with Thematic Precision

Identify three European Union (E.U.)-listed stocks or ETFs that could be poised for upside in Q3 2025. Focus on companies benefiting from AI integration in finance, energy transition initiatives or recent ECB policy shifts. Provide valuation metrics and highlight one key risk per asset.

💡 Why it works: Merges macro policy insight with sector themes for targeted, investment-ready ideas.

🔍 ETF Spotlight: NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF (QAI)

Quick Overview:

• Current Price: $32.31

• 52-week range: $29.57 to $33.09

• Net Expense ratio: 0.91% per year

• Dividend yield: 2.17%

With market volatility potentially returning in July, some investors are likely revisiting multi-strategy ETFs aimed at providing diversified return streams with lower directional risk. The NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Tracker ETF (QAI) is one such option. Originally launched in 2009 as the IQ Hedge Multi-Strategy ETF, it was renamed in 2024.

QAI tracks the NYLI Hedge Multi-Strategy Index, allocating across hedge fund-style strategies such as long/short equity, event-driven, market neutral, and fixed income arbitrage. It currently holds 38 positions and is classified as an alternative ETF.

Top holdings include the iShares Floating Rate Bond ETF (FLOT), Vanguard Short-Term Treasury ETF (VGSH) and Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA). Its largest exposures are to floating rate investment-grade debt (25.1%), short-duration Treasurys (10.4%), and convertible bonds (9.9%), alongside smaller allocations to international equities, merger arbitrage, and managed futures.

At the time of writing, QAI manages approximately $706 million in assets, with a 30-day average bid-ask spread of 0.06% and a 0.01% premium to NAV, signaling healthy liquidity. It uses a liquid fund-of-funds approach, investing in ETFs that replicate hedge fund strategies. While it doesn’t aim to outperform equities in rallies, QAI seeks to deliver risk-adjusted returns with low correlation to traditional benchmarks.

As an alternative strategy ETF, it may not be suitable for all investors and is best viewed as a diversification tool.

AI Prompt for Further Exploration:

Act as a U.S.-based portfolio strategist. Compare the historical drawdowns, Sharpe ratio and correlation to the S&P 500 of the QAI ETF versus a traditional 60/40 portfolio over the past five years. For the purpose of this discussion, a traditional 60/40 portfolio can be assumed to comprise 60% allocation to the S&P 500 (represented by SPY) and 40% allocation to a broad U.S. aggregate bond index (represented by AGG or BND). Then, simulate QAI’s potential role in a retirement portfolio under two forward-looking scenarios: 1) a period of rising interest rates and 2) a market downturn with elevated volatility. Assess implications for risk-adjusted returns and capital preservation.

🚀 AI Career Moves: Exciting AI Jobs This Week

Looking for your next opportunity in AI? Explore these standout roles across industries and locations:

  📩 Feel free to share this list with anyone looking for AI opportunities!

📈 AI in Markets: Key Trends & Upcoming Events

🤖  AI4 Vegas – Las Vegas, Aug 11–13
AI4 2025, one of North America’s largest AI conferences, will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, 11–13 August 2025. The event will feature 600+ speakers and 250+ exhibitors, with dedicated tracks on generative AI, AI agents, enterprise integration, and ethics, focusing on applied use cases across industries.

⚠️ Can AI Stay Green?

As AI adoption accelerates, so does its environmental cost. Accenture estimates that by 2030, AI-related carbon emissions could surge 11-fold, accounting for 3.4% of total global emissions. Meanwhile, AI data centres may consume over 3 billion cubic metres of freshwater annually—more than Norway or Sweden use in a year.

⚖️ AI Copyright Clash Escalates

Disney and Universal have jointly sued image-generator Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement tied to iconic characters. The case signals a major escalation in the ongoing legal battle between content owners and generative AI platforms.

 Stay tuned for next week’s edition, where we’ll explore new AI prompts for deeper sector analysis. To ensure our next newsletter lands in your Inbox, please add our email address to your contacts: [email protected]