Nine out of ten small traders lose money in options trading, according to SEBI’s own data. That’s in part because of institutional investors, who have massive capital and fancy algorithms on their side.
Many retail traders aren’t aware of this. But, even those who are familiar are still drawn to options trading. Why?
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll hear from traders and a behavioural finance psychologist to learn more. What are the signs that someone’s stuck in a toxic cycle, and how can they get out of it?
Links mentioned:
- Jane Street: Is It Time To Reinvent Rules For The Derivatives Market?
- Derivatives Trap: Indian Retail Investors Are At The Mercy Of Techno-Giants
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The petcare industry is booming in India. A Redseer report from last year said that pet ownership in India is growing at a rate of 4-5% right now. In 2019, 26 million Indian households had pets. That number ballooned in just five years; in 2024, 32 million households had pets. At the same time, the pet care market is also growing by 18-20%.
It’s one thing to spend on your pets, but Indian pet parents don’t stop there. They’re choosing to buy premium products for their pets too. Think: 10,000 rupees worth hypoallergenic beds, and costly organic, free-range chicken and duck pet food, air dried snacks and treats.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll hear from consumers and petcare professionals about this trend toward premiumisation in the petcare industry in India. Why are so many willing to shell out bank for their pooches? Will more pet owners across the country transition into being such quote “pawrents”?
Episode about Pet-friendly hotels: https://www.thecore.in/podcasts/how-friendly-are-pet-friendly-hotels-836180
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There was a time when people needed watches, to check the time of course. But now, our phones, laptops and even our fridges can tell us that. Still, the watch market, particularly the luxury watch market, is growing in India.
According to Market Brew, between January to May 2025, exports of Swiss watches to India grew to Rs 1,100 crore – that’s a yearly growth of 10%. Even in 2024, this sector performed quite well – Swiss watch exports to India were worth Rs 2,600 crore.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about who’s buying luxury watches in India, and why? Some buyers also see luxury watches as an investment that will give them returns. How does that work?
The Core produces The Signal Daily. At The Signal Daily, we don’t do hot takes, instead we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
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In the past two decades, there’s been a wave of liberal arts universities in the country – these challenge the traditional Indian model that sequesters students into strict streams.
FLAME set up shop in 2007, then Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar, and Ashoka University in 2014. This year, Nayanta University of Pune will take its first batch of students.
Liberal arts universities encourage students to take classes in lots of different departments. They also generally have smaller class sizes and focus on the Socratic, discussion model of learning.
Liberal arts universities have been around for quite some time now, but what do they offer that’s so different from traditional Indian colleges? What are the career prospects of their graduates, and have they changed in the recent past? They’re also quite expensive, in the tune of 30-40 lakhs for a three-year Bachelor’s course, for instance; are they worth it?
Tune in to the latest episode of The Signal Daily to find out more. The Core produces The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes, instead we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
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India’s beauty market is huge – the country has the sixth largest market in the world. But, our per capita spending on beauty products is still low: only about 15 dollars. That’s 1200 rupees. For context, in the US, per capita spending on beauty is 335 dollars and the global average for this figure is 72 USD.
That’s also one reason why ‘minis’ of beauty products are particularly popular in India. In the West, people use minis as samples or as travel packs. With more luxury brands like Rare Beauty, Laneige and Innisfree coming to India, Indian consumers prefer to buy 'minis' of these luxury products.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll hear from Indian consumers and learn about why they love buying minis of luxury beauty products. What does that say about aspiration, affordability, and identity among Indian women today?
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Cannabis is technically illegal in India. But, for the past few years, it’s been relatively easy, though expensive, to obtain it. Some entrepreneurial Indians have set up online websites — there’s trost.com, itshemp.in, cbdstore.in, among many others. These websites sell both the non-psychoactive CBD (cannabidiol) as well as the psychoactive THC (tetrahydrocannabinol).
They advertise it as an ayurvedic medicine in addition to using euphemistic language to describe their offerings. So, they say they’re selling hemp and hemp-based products, rather than saying “weed” or “ganja.” These products are also quite expensive — you’d have to shell out at least a couple thousand rupees to purchase one item.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about this online ayurvedic cannabis market. Who’s buying from these websites? Why are their products so expensive? And, how safe is it to consume their products?
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Seen those little dolls hanging off of people’s bags? Those are called “labubu dolls.”
They’re about 25 cms long. Popular American celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian started sporting them in 2024, which is when they became a hot item in the US. Now, they’ve become big in India too.
I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about what labubu dolls are. Why are they flying off the shelves like never before? And, how can you spot a fake from the real thing?
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India makes more movies than any other country in the world. A lot of us also grew up with a regular habit of going to the cinemas and catching the latest film.
But, COVID changed that. Cooped up in our homes, we got addicted to OTT platforms, and never really went back into movie theatres. Even the Hindi film industry’s success metrics changed – before, a 100 crore movie was a box office success. Now, that benchmark is at 50 crore rupees.
I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we speak to Ishaa Soni, a film buff whose cinema habits have drastically changed since COVID. What’s going on there? What will make her, and consumers like her, return to the cinema halls?
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India’s elite have been fraternising at old-school clubs for decades – I’m talking of your Gymkhanas and Golf clubs in Tier 1 cities.
But, for the uninitiated, becoming a member at these historic institutions is virtually impossible. Some of them have waiting times of as much as 30 years!
India’s new elite need another space; a growing private members-only club scene is coming up to fulfill that need. Some of these clubs are Soho House, Quorum, Jolie’s and The Bay Club, for example.
A study from 2024 found that the private, members-only club market is growing at a CAGR of 17.8%. By 2027, the annual ‘private club’ market size will reach 941 crore rupees.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about these hangout spots for India’s elite. What’s different about this new wave versus old-school Gymkhana type institutions?
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If you know anything about Indian art, you’ve probably heard of MF or Maqbool Fida Husain, one of India’s most popular modern artists. Though people compare Husain to Picasso, historically, his paintings have not fetched the prices that Picasso’s do.
Well, that’s until now. The Indian art market is seeing its moment. From 15 crores rupees in 2000, the Indian art market is worth 3,000 crore rupees today. And it’s only going to keep growing. Estimates say that by 2030, the market will grow to 10,000 crore rupees.
I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we do deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
In today’s episode, we’ll learn about what’s behind these crazy numbers of the Indian art market? Are emerging artists also benefiting from this boom? And, is buying art only a domain of the ultra-wealthy?
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Ever found yourself in this position – you want to read something behind a paywall, so you begrudgingly sign up for a subscription. It’s so easy peasy. But when you try to cancel, it’s as if the site is actively working against you?
That’s not a coincidence, but rather, an intentional design strategy, called a ‘dark pattern’.
I’m your host Kudrat Wadhwa and you’re listening to The Signal Daily. We don’t do hot takes. Instead, we’ll bring you deep dives into the how and why of consumer trends.
In the latest episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about dark patterns. What are they and what laws exist in India to protect consumers? What can you do if you spot a dark pattern?
Find ASCI's 2024 report here: https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Consious-Patterns-Report-Summary.pdf
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In May, Amazon Prime announced that it will add ads to its basic plan starting June 17. If you don’t want ads, you need to either pay an extra 129 rupees per month, or 699 per year.
OTT was supposed to disrupt television, but it’s begun to look a lot more like its predecessor now. What’s up with that?
Find out more in this episode of The Signal Daily, featuring Vanita Kohli-Khandekar of The Media Room and Aroon Deep of The Hindu.
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Imagine this: you’re a pet parent of a relatively well-behaved dog. It’s been a few months since you took a real vacation from work, so you decide to get away for a week. Luckily, you come across a resort in the hills, which advertises itself as “pet-friendly.”
But when you actually arrive at your destination, you find out that you can’t take your pet out of your room. That’s the state of a lot of so-called "pet-friendly" hotels in India right now.
In this episode of The Signal Daily, we’ll learn about the pet-friendly hospitality industry. How friendly are these properties, really?
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The modern Indian woman is a force to be reckoned with. In the India our parents grew up in, gender roles were clear. The man worked outside the house and brought in the dough. The woman managed the home – cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. But, today’s women do it all – working outside, and inside the house.
Thankfully, there’s technologies that have made domestic work easier. There’s mops with long handles, so we don’t have to get on our knees. There’s vacuum cleaners and washing machines, which significantly reduce how much effort cleaning and washing clothes takes.
And then, there’s dishwashers, which make doing the dishes significantly less annoying. For now, dishwashers are not a staple in most Indian kitchens. But that was also true for washing machines at one point–can dishwashers be the next major upgrade to our lives?
Let’s find out, in the latest episode of The Signal Daily!
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Have you ever wondered what the super rich in India live like?
Though the other segments of real estate aren’t doing so well, as The Core has covered before, luxury and specifically the ultra luxury segment – that’s residential property worth 50 crores and above – grew at a rate of 483% last year, from 29 units in 2024 to 169 in 2025.
When we say uber luxury, we’re not talking about your apartment condos with shared pools and gyms; instead, we’re talking whole floors, and sometimes several, combined together, in elite, exclusive properties at prime locations.
In this episode, The Signal Daily speaks to Mr. Ghulam Zia of Knight-Frank, a global real estate consultancy. What’s with the crazy rise in ultra luxury housing? How do the uber rich live?
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Have you seen those tiny e-bikes in big cities? You know, the ones that mostly gig workers ride. With the new quick commerce trend, they often need to deliver within minutes, and sometimes zoom past you.
There are many pros of electric bikes. They are nice vehicles to cover short distances. They also, in part, contribute to reducing India’s air pollution problem.
But then, there’s cons too. Several people from Delhi and Bengaluru have complained about how riders on these e-bikes don’t respect road rules. They drive too fast, drive on the footpath or on the wrong side.
What’s the story of shared e-mobility in big Indian cities? How did they come to dominate our roads? Who rides them?
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A lot of Indians grow up with an anti-debt and anti-credit card mentality. But, the data shows that’s changing now.
In 2018, credit card spending in the country was at 4.6 lakh crore rupees. In the last quarter of the recent financial year, that figure grew by four times, and is now at 21.2 lakh crore rupees.
Credit feels easy, but sometimes, we fail to read the fine print. A lot of Indians are also finding themselves in a never-ending debt trap.
How does that work? What can you, as a consumer do to protect yourself?
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Mumbai’s Chattrapati Shivaji Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. Last year alone, it handled 528 lakh passengers.
Most people in Mumbai agree that their city needs another airport. To reduce the congestion at the Chhatrapati Shivaji airport, the Maharashtra government has decided to build another one, in Navi Mumbai.
The Navi Mumbai airport is supposed to ease the stress that travelers experience. But, when The Core’s Zinal Dedhia traveled from Lower Parel to Navi Mumbai, and later to Malad, it took a whopping four hours in total. One and a half hours to the airport, and two and a half on the way back.
Already, people in Mumbai spend too much time stuck in traffic. Will this new airport make it worse?
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In 2019, The New York Times published H&M’s dirty secret. Every year, the Swedish multifashion brand discards billions of dollars worth of new and perfectly usable clothes to landfills across the Global South or ships them to be incinerated.
H&M is but one of many guilty clothing companies. Fast fashion brands – you know your Zara, Adidas and H&M – are some of the worst polluters on the planet. They regularly overproduce clothes by 30-40%, according to some estimates. That’s because in order to attract customers, these companies need to come up with ever-changing trends and styles, and they need to make their shelves appear full.
But now, some Indians are finding ways to avoid participating in ‘fast fashion’ — through thrifting. The practice of buying and selling second-hand things in the organised retail sector — that’s the definition of thrifting — became popular in the West in the 50s and 60s.
Even in India, people are establishing ‘thrift stores’, that buy and sell used clothing and accessories. In this episode, we’ll learn about the thrift industry in India. Who’s selling and who’s buying? Is thrifting really as sustainable as people think it is?
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We’re all familiar with India’s boom story–rising salaries, more disposable income and a demand for a better quality of life.
But, with many more young Indians migrating to big cities to work and earn, they’re finding it supremely challenging to pay rents, even on their relatively good salaries.
A 2024 report by AON group, a consulting company, found that salaries in India are rising at a rate of about 10% each year. At the same time, rental costs are rising at a phenomenal rate, of 16-20%, and sometimes even more.
In this episode, we'll learn about how rising rents are pushing young Indians out of big cities. And what are they doing to navigate that crisis?
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