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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Jan 14, 2025 • 33min
#481 Markets Fight To End In The Positive
On Episode 481 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Shah, well known economist and columnist as well as Vandana Hari, Founder and CEO of Vanda Insights.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Stories Of The Day
(01:00) Markets fight to end in the positive
(04:41) The policy flip flop on the rupee and its implications
(19:42) Decoding the sanctions bombshell on Russian oil and impact on India
(28:14) Car sales slow down, more so in the small car segment
(29:19) And the world’s busiest airport in 2024 is…
(30:35) Who does the word schezwan chutney belong to?
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Jan 13, 2025 • 31min
#480 Markets Hit A 7-Month Low
On Episode 480 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Viktor Katona, head of oil analysis at energy research firm Kpler as well as Rama Bijapurkar, author, business advisor and researcher of Indian consumer markets.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Stories Of The Day
(01:00) Markets hit a 7-month low, some fund managers still wary of valuations
(04:45) Rupee slides past 86 to the US Dollar for the first time
(05:21) Shipments of Russian oil to India assured for now as India braces for impact
(06:56) Why oil prices are falling and India’s bargaining stance
(15:14) How to interpret consumption trends in India when data is weak
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Jan 12, 2025 • 33min
#479 Markets Stay On Weak Footing, Will Midcaps Surprise
On Episode 479 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to G Chokkalingam, Founder of Equinomics Research as well as Himanshu Parekh, Partner and Head of Tax (West) at KPMG.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) The Take: India’s Diagnostics Industry Is Going to Grow
(04:41) Markets stay on weak footing, will midcaps surprise?
(07:20) What early market trends for 2025 are telling us about stocks
(16:56) India’s forex reserves down $70 billion from peak as markets brace for rupee sliding below Rs 86 to USD.
(17:55) Fresh sanctions on Russia increases the prospect for lower crude oil prices for India.
(21:05) 22 subcommittees are working on simplifying India’s tax laws before the Union Budget. Will they meet the deadline?
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Jan 10, 2025 • 40min
#478 Growth and Challenges in Supply Chains and Multi-modal Logistics with Vineet Agarwal
This week financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj is joined by Vineet Agarwal, Managing Director at the Transport Corporation of India Limited. Agarwal discusses the current state of the logistics sector, from growth opportunities and profitability to the challenges and implications of supply chain disruption. You’ll learn about all things supply chain management whether it be for quick commerce, warehousing, multi-modal logistics or the complexity of shifting supply chains. He also discusses the formalisation of sectors, the demands of compliance, and what affects the cost of logistics. Tune in for a 360 view of the logistics industry from one of its biggest players.
(00:00) - Intro Logistics sector/industry
(02:02) - Quick commerce, Kirana stores, Dark stores,
(05:33) - Supply Chains of e-commerce vs Kirana stores
(07:15) - Products coming from multiple factories
(08:11) - Warehouse fulfilment level is where they operate. Delivery costs are the highest costs.
(09:50) - History of the TCI. The business has changed, but the value system has not changed
(11:41) - Working with all industries - auto, defence, etc. Offering a service without damages
(12:47) - Domestic manufacturing, supply chain localisation due to supply chain disruption
(14:49) - Complexity of shifting supply chains
(17:20) - Multimodal logistics. Bringing down logistics cost
(19:47) - The Shipping side of TCI
(22:00) - What do Corporates want
(23:00) - Tracking has become hygiene
(24:21) - How does granular information add value
(25:50) - Where is the growth opportunity
(28:11) - Compliance needs
(30:21) - Profit growth for TCI
(32:30) - How do customers indicate growth opportunities
(34:33) - Chocolate
(35:53) - Speed increases cost
(37:13) - What to look forward in the upcoming budget
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Jan 9, 2025 • 27min
#477 Why India’s Mobile Phone Production Capacity Is Lying Idle
On Episode 477 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Tarun Pathak, Telecom Analyst and Research Director at Counterpoint Research.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Stories Of The Day
(01:09) Markets are sliding away
(06:50) The Indian mobile phone market has stagnated, thanks to which half the manufacturing capacity of 500 million phones is lying idle
(18:02) RBI wants to improve its data forecasts.
(20:55) 52 of 59 ultra luxury properties worth Rs 4,750 crore bought in India last year were in Mumbai as sales values keep rising
(21:48) Mercedes has a record sales year in India.
(22:49) Electric car maker BYD sells more hybrid cars than electric, did you know?
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Jan 8, 2025 • 24min
#476 The Stock Markets Fight Back A Fresh Bout Of Selling
On Episode 476 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Bjarne Schieldrop, Chief Commodity Analyst at Oslo headquartered SEB as well as Pratik Shah, Managing Director for India and SAARC at F5.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Stories Of The Day
(01:00) The stock markets fight back a fresh bout of selling
(03:27) ONGC ties up with BP to boost oil drilling output, the IEW segment
(09:50) Indians love gold but did not import as much as we thought last month as the Govt revises figures
(11:48) Will new tax laws be simpler?
(13:13) How security threats for APIs, which link almost all our financial transactions are rising
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Jan 7, 2025 • 22min
#475 Markets Take A Fresh Pause On Selling
On Episode 475 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to DK Joshi, Chief Economist at CRISIL. We also feature an excerpt from our interview from episode 465 with Dinesh Kanabar, tax expert and CEO at Dhruva Advisors.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Stories Of The Day
(01:00) Markets pause
(04:15) Rupee recovers, rises sharply
(05:30) GDP growth slows, advance estimates show
(14:25) Car sales and their surprising fall
(16:07) Microsoft to invest $3 billion in data infrastructure in India
India Energy Week, Feb 11-14
Listeners! We await your feedback....
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Jan 6, 2025 • 25min
#474 Markets Fall Sharply As Sellers Take Charge
On Episode 474 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Anindya Banerjee, Head Of Research for FX and Interest Rates at Kotak Securities as well as Dr Ishwar Gilada, infectious diseases expert and Secretary General at the People's Health Organisation-India.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) Stories Of The Day
(00:50) Markets fall sharply as sellers take charge.
(03:28) Rupee hits another low, decoding India’s foreign exchange strategy.
(11:18) Indian meal prices are up but unusually more for non vegetarians.
(15:03) The HMPV virus spooked the stockmarkets yesterday, an infectious disease expert view on what it really means.
India Energy Week, Feb 11-14
Listeners! We await your feedback....
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Jan 5, 2025 • 28min
#473 Markets Were Down Last Week, 2025 Will Be Muted
On Episode 473 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Jay Kothari, Senior Vice President, Global Head International Business and Lead Investment Strategist at DSP Mutual Fund.
SHOW NOTES
(00:00) The Take
(07:14) Markets were down last week, 2025 will be muted.
(09:25) CLSA dumps HDFC Bank from portfolio, focusses on Tata Motors and NTPC, among others.
(12:12) Crude oil prices hit a 2 month high.
(13:47) Foreign investors bought barely half a billion dollars net last year but not all FIIs are the same and some are more faithful than the others.
(24:42) Forex reserves down $13 billion in three weeks to $640 billion.
(25:48) After Ford, its time for pizza maker Papa John to return to India
India Energy Week, Feb 11-14
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Dec 30, 2024 • 38min
#472 Relating to the Consumer at the Right Data Point with Amitesh Rao
In this edition of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj is joined by Amitesh Rao, CEO at Leo Burnett South Asia. They discuss the current state of advertising - how data affects creativity and ideation, the limitations of influencer marketing, premiumisation in India and how that affects the approach to ad campaigns, how story and myth still play a part in communication, the demands of India's growing affluent class and much more.
(00:00) Introduction: Setting the Stage for Marketing Evolution
(01:45) The Digital Disruption in Marketing
(06:25) Consumer Behavior and the Emotional Connect
(09:40) The Changing Role of the Marketing Mix
(13:12) Measuring Marketing Effectiveness in the Digital Age
(15:47) Lessons from Global Case Studies
(18:35) Leveraging Data for Brand Storytelling
(22:10) Evolving Consumer Expectations in the Auto Industry
(25:56) Navigating Growth in ICE vs. EV Markets
(27:36) The Transition from Tech Fascination to Human-Centric Design
(27:59) AI Without the Hype: Transforming Creativity and Productivity
(31:14) Value vs Price: The Modern Consumer’s Mindset
(33:28) Premiumization in India: Unlocking Affluence
(33:43) Sustainability and Consumer Willingness
(35:14) The Convenience Economy: Paying for Ease
(35:44) Looking Ahead: The Intersection of Tech, Insights, and Creativity
(36:00) The Power of Simple Innovation: A Global Case Study
(37:59) Conclusion: Making an Impact Through Creativity and Insight
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