Insights from Our Webinar

Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a game-changer for investment professionals as an increasing number of organisations embrace AI tools in daily workflows. However, for many professionals, the question remains, “How do you harness AI without getting lost in vague outputs or fabricated facts?” That is what we explored in our recent webinar on 30 September, Introduction to AI Prompting for Investment Writing & Research, led by AI expert Nurhan Gecgil, PhD, from EquityEdge Studio.

If you joined us live, thank you for your enthusiasm. In case you missed it, this post provides an overview of the key highlights, from demystifying large language models (LLMs) to crafting prompts that deliver precise, actionable insights. At Equity Edge Studio, we specialise in crafting high-impact investment content. This webinar was our way of sharing how our AI training can supercharge your workflow while keeping the human touch at the centre. Read on below or submit your details to watch the recording.

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Why AI prompting matters

The session's mission was to introduce the topic of AI prompting to equip investment writers, researchers and content creators with the skills to prompt AI effectively, turning it from a novelty into reliable research and writing ally.

Nurhan, with her deep expertise in training LLMs, brought the room to life with real-world examples. Currently, Nurhan spends much of her time challenging these models with tough finance and investment management questions to push their boundaries. Accuracy and reliability of AI models like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini and Microsoft's enterprise AI agent ecosystem are improving rapidly. In fact, in finance, AI models are fast approaching accuracy levels of up to 85%-90%. But the secret sauce is in how you prompt the model, guiding it to shine.

Will AI replace us?

One of the most pressing questions on everyone's mind: Is AI coming for investment writing jobs? Nurhan tackled this head-on with optimism and realism. While it might mean fewer hires in raw content generation, the demand for pros who can master AI will skyrocket. You will be the ones prompting, reviewing, refining and overseeing outputs, ensuring they are spot-on for your audience. AI still "hallucinates" or has a tendency to seemingly invent facts out of thin air, and so human oversight is essential.

Nurhan also touched on compliance and privacy, showing attendees how to use an AI model’s settings to avoid data sharing and delete conversation archives. Some providers might hold onto data for legal reasons, so tread carefully with sensitive info.

The four pillars of effective prompting

At the heart of the webinar were Nurhan's "pillars of effective prompting", a simple yet powerful framework to elevate your AI interactions: Role, Context, Clarity and Constraints & Outcomes.

Role: Assign the AI a persona to focus its lens. For example, tell it to "act as a seasoned financial journalist" for a market analysis, and watch the tone and depth shift.
Context: Feed it the backstory. Within the prompt, share market conditions, target audience (e.g. institutional investors) or specific data points to ground the response in reality.
Clarity: Be explicit about structure and details. Spell out acronyms, define key terms and outline sections to dodge misunderstandings.
Constraints & Outcomes: Set boundaries like word count, format (e.g. bullet points vs. narrative), tone (professional vs. conversational) and what is off-limits (e.g. no unsubstantiated claims).

Nurhan illustrated this with side-by-side demos that left attendees nodding in recognition.

Bad prompts vs. good prompts

A "bad" prompt might be: "Give me a short summary of developed markets macroeconomics." The result? A bland list of generic bullet points that skim the surface.

Now, contrast that with a "good" one:

“Act as a senior equity analyst specialising in European Union (EU) equity funds. In light of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) recent interest rate cuts and signs of slowing gross domestic product (GDP) growth across the Eurozone, write a 700-word professional investment report that examines the key macroeconomic indicators from the third quarter of 2025, including inflation, unemployment and the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI).

Structure the report with three sections:

Executive Summary: concisely outline current macroeconomic trends and their overall impact on EU equities.

Macroeconomic Indicators and Market Impact: analyse each indicator using the latest available EU or Eurozone data and briefly explain how these developments influence sector and equity valuations.

Conclusion and Investment Implications: summarise outlook and highlight potential positioning strategies for fund managers. Stay grounded in data-driven reasoning.

Maintain a professional, evidence-based tone suitable for institutional investors. Use recent data and statistics (with source attribution) and avoid forward-looking speculation or subjective forecasts.”

The AI then delivers a comprehensive, structured report, leveraging its deep research mode for timely insights. The difference? Night and day. And yes, we are sharing all the prompt templates with webinar attendees.

Treat AI like a collaborative partner

One of Nurhan's standout tips: Don't stop at the first response. AI thrives on iterative dialogue. In one example, a detailed prompt spat out a report twice as long as requested. The fix? A quick follow-up: "Trim this to 500 words while retaining all key insights." Iteration refines outputs and "trains" the model while it learns and adapts through feedback.

AI in action for finance pros

Nurhan showcased hands-on applications tailored to our industry:

Portfolio analysis: We uploaded attribution data from an Excel spreadsheet and prompted the AI to spot trends, summarise risks and suggest narrative angles for client reports. (Pro tip: always verify the insights yourself.)
Content creation: We drafted LinkedIn posts, blending data-driven analysis with engaging storytelling – perfect for thought leadership.

Our AI training programme

We closed by emphasising that AI is a human-led tool. It amplifies your strengths in finance and writing without supplanting them. At EquityEdge Studio, we are passionate about helping teams integrate AI seamlessly, lifting content readiness with less manual grind.

Excitingly, we're now offering bespoke in-house AI training for financial services firms. Our programmes cover prompting best practices, building company-specific guidelines and creating custom prompt libraries. Whether you're drafting ESG reports or market commentaries, we will tailor the training to your needs.

Missed the webinar? Catch the recording above.

Contact us to receive a brochure for our AI training programme or chat about how our training could be tailored to your needs.

Kristian Melson and Timothy Lamb are the co-founders of Equity Edge Studio, and Nurhan Gecgil, PhD, is our resident AI wizard. Follow us on LinkedIn for more tips on blending tech with top-tier content.

AI Prompting for Investment Writing & Research