The Core Report
The Core
Every Monday to Saturday, tune in as financial journalist and host Govindraj Ethiraj gives you the latest news in business, economy and technology
Episodes
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Feb 24, 2025 • 23min
#517 Markets Hammered Once Again
On Episode 517 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Kinjal Shah, Senior Vice President & Co-Group Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA. We also feature an excerpt from our interview with C Vijayakumar, CEO at HCL Tech from yesterday’s Nasscom Technology Leadership Forum in Mumbai.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:19) Markets hammered once again even as institutional brokerage buy calls rise(05:13) We need to transition from an input centric model to an outcome centric model, HCL Tech CEO C Vijayakumar to The Core(11:06) Indian IT to grow faster this year, expand workforce(12:30) Rating agency ICRA projects improved revenues on rural revival and increased Govt spend(20:47) Apple to hire 20,000 workers in US in definite hit to global sourcingListeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 23, 2025 • 22min
#516 Small And Mid Cap Indices Are Fighting Back
On Episode 514 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Pranav Haldea, Managing Director at PRIME Database Group; Kunal Shah, Head of Commodities at Nirmal Bang as well as Amit Pabari, Managing Director at CR Forex Advisors.SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take: A Minister’s Bad Flight Sparks a Bigger Question (05:38) Small and mid cap indices are fighting back (08:45) Rupee is steady, forex reserves fall. (09:29) Winter rains are short and the wheat crops might be hit (14:18) Can a reciprocal tariff include GST as well?Listeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 21, 2025 • 39min
#515 Two Hundred Million Children Lost Learning: How India is Fixing It
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education for over two years, causing significant learning loss among millions of children across India. In this insightful interview, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Anurag Behar, CEO of Azim Premji Foundation, about the innovative and impactful strategies implemented to recover learning loss and rebuild foundational literacy and numeracy among students.(00:00) Introduction(03:00) Learning Loss during COVID(05:14) How do you recover lost learning?(07:00) Assessment Method/Tool(10:51) Example of an Assessment Method(12:50) Multiple levels of learning loss. Particularly in Primary grades.(16:54) Operationalising the solution is difficult(20:00) Issues in operationalisation(24:55) Wide variation and relative loss from pre pandemic(29:00) What can be replicated in solving the learning loss(32:26) The Learning Crisis(35:19) An inspiring storyListeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 20, 2025 • 32min
#514 The Large Caps Are Weak
On Episode 514 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Pranav Haldea, Managing Director at PRIME Database Group; Kunal Shah, Head of Commodities at Nirmal Bang as well as Amit Pabari, Managing Director at CR Forex Advisors.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) The large caps are weak but the mid and small cap segments are rising(05:12) The untold story. FPIs sold Rs 120,000 crore of stock in 2024 but they also bought Rs 120,000 crore worth of IPOs(14:05) Gold prices hit a fresh high as banks struggle to move bullion bars around the world(23:14) The rupee is on firmer footing this week(30:06) Why companies from Schneider Electric to ABB are reporting sharp rises in profitsListeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 19, 2025 • 29min
#513 Are The Markets Circling The Bottom?
On Episode 513 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Gaurang Shah, Head Investment Strategist of Geojit Securities as well as B.V. Krishna Rao, president of the Rice Exporters' Association (REA).SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:31) Are the markets circling the bottom even as they fight back? (17:07) S&P says limited impact of US tariffs on India as it is a domestic economy. (19:26) China makes life difficult for Tesla cars in tit for tat. (20:25) Rice stocks are at record highs and exporters want more curbs to be lifted. (26:44) Salaries are still projected to rise in India even as attrition continues to fall.Listeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 18, 2025 • 25min
#512 The Markets Are Flat Again and That’s A Good Sign
On Episode 512 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Probal Sen, Senior Analyst, Indian Oil & Gas Sector at ICICI securities.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) The markets are flat again and that’s a good sign(03:27) Fresh upside targets set as Trump uncertainties drive up gold prices again(06:15) Making sense of Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on India, sectors hit and the hit(08:47) India will import more LNG from the USA, what could that mean?(21:13) Tesla is set to roll into India, on the back of unprecedented concessions(23:07) Vietnam goes DOGE too, announces cut backs in GovernmentDISCLAIMER (For segment ft. Probal Sen)ICICI Securities Limited is a SEBI registered Research Analyst having registration no. INH000000990. It is confirmed that the Research Analyst or his relatives or I-Sec do not have actual/beneficial ownership of 1% or more securities of the subject company, at the end of 17/02/2025 or have no other financial interest and do not have any material conflict of interest. I-Sec or its associates might have received any compensation towards merchant banking/ broking services from the subject companies mentioned as clients in preceding 12 months.Listeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 17, 2025 • 25min
#511 Markets Breakthrough on The 8th Day to End Positive
On Episode 511 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Srivastava, Founder, Global Trade Research Initiative as well as Jaspreet Bindra, Co-Founder and CEO of AI&Beyond.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) Markets breakthrough on the 8th day to end positive.(02:28) Gold prices continue to rise on Trump induced uncertainty(03:53) India is unveiling massive nuclear power building plans(05:24) China is wooing its private sector once again to fight the big fight(06:52) India’s trade deficit rises, what does that mean in the context of tariff wars?(15:59) India is unveiling AI compute capacity, how will it work?Listeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 16, 2025 • 30min
#510 Indian Markets Fall Below $4 Trillion
On Episode 510 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Indrani Bagchi, CEO of Ananta Aspen Centre as well as Sheetal Sapale, Vice President at Pharmarack.SHOW NOTES(00:00) The Take(05:57) Indian markets fall below $4 trillion(08:06) China gained $1.3 trillion even as India lost $760 billion as funds rotated back into China after DeepSeek(10:17) What was India hoping to achieve at the India-US trade talks?(20:41) Why heart failure therapies and diuretics are lifting the growth of the cardiac drugs marketListeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 14, 2025 • 40min
#509 How Indian Brands Are Winning Globally | FCB India's Dheeraj Sinha Explains
This week financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj is joined by Dheeraj Sinha Group CEO- India and South Asia, at FCB. They discuss the competitiveness of Indian Brands in the global market, catering to different markets in terms of marketing campaigns, improvements in Indian Product design, adapting to short form video, working with influencers and much more. Tune in for insights on marketing and current consumer trends.(00:00) Introduction(02:00) State of Indian Brands(04:43) World Class Excellence(06:17) Indian Design(07:11) Designing for India(08:38) Examples of Indian Brands(10:27) Adjusting the messaging for different markets(11:50) Understyling(12:33) Venturing in different markets(14:25) Examples of Products(17:25) FCB’s composition(19:00) Short form design + digital(20:52) How a data point can influence marketing(22:22) Data sets(23:15) Broad understanding of patterns(25:22) working with influencers(28:02) Talent(32:00) Investment in India(33:43) Categories have stopped growing(39:00) Notable campaignsListeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
Feb 13, 2025 • 33min
#508 The Markets Slide For The 7th Day
On Episode 508 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Rotti, Founder and CEO of Tax Compaas as well as Avinash Gorakshakar, Head Research at Profitmart Securities Pvt. Ltd. We also feature an excerpt from our interview with Sandeep Kumar Gupta , Chairman and Managing Director, GAIL (India) limited.SHOW NOTES (00:00)Stories of the Day (00:41)The markets slide for the seventh day even as Asian markets perk up (02:48)Small Cap Vs Large Cap Debate (12:34)The New Income Tax Bill Will Be Old When It Arrives. (20:32)How India is using gas to power economic growthRegister for India Energy Week, Feb 11-14Listeners! We await your feedback....The Core and The Core Report is ad supported and FREE for all readers and listeners. Write in to shiva@thecore.in for sponsorships and brand studio requirementsFor more of our coverage check out thecore.inJoin and Interact anonymously on our whatsapp channelSubscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin | Youtube
