In the Know

Global Aerospace & Defense Analyst Doug Harned joins host Diana Wood on the podcast to provide his perspective on the new Golden Dome, a proposed multi-layer defense system for the United Stares designed to detect and destroy a wide range of threats before or during their flight. Doug gives a 360° view of what the Golden Dome actually is, cost estimates and timelines for a system of this scale, main technological challenges, potential adversaries’ countermeasures, how it could escalate the arms race – and where this initiative may leave America and the world over the next 3, 5 and 10 years.

US Internet Analyst Mark Shmulik returns with Sid Malkani for the second part of our two-part episode on Meta Platforms. This time, we look into Meta’s competition and how they ensure content creators end up on their platform vs. TikTok or Google. Plus, we delve into optionality and whether or not Meta can monetize WhatsApp – plus the topic au jour: the introduction of Meta AI.

US Internet Analyst Mark Shmulik joins host Sid Malkani for a two-part episode on multinational technology company Meta Platforms, consisting of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger – and most recently, Meta AI. Looking at Mark’s ‘framework of utility’, we look at the different stakeholders of Meta’s ecosystems: the user, the consumer and the advertiser. We delve into Meta’s use cases and what keeps us online, and how social media has emerged from a place to connect to a broadcast media, with brand/performance advertising and content creation monetising the platforms and continuing its runway for growth.

Nadine Sarwat (Bernstein’s American & European Beverages Analyst) joins host Diana Wood for a discussion on deglobalization, considered an investment controversy across all sectors. Distillers are at the crux of this debate. Their reliance on protected geographical indication products (PGIs, i.e. spirits that must be produced in a given geography) were once a clear asset. Now they are a potential liability. We explore which companies are most at risk given rising trade tensions. Plus, we discuss Nadine's recent coverage expansion into the European Coca-Cola bottlers, which have proven to be a safe haven in today’s volatile environment.

Global Software Analyst Mark Moerdler joins host Diana Wood to discuss multinational computer technology company, Oracle. We take a look into their story, looking into their transition to the Cloud and how their revenue, margins and earnings were impacted. Plus, we discuss the controversy of the Oracle database, the AI capabilities of Oracle OCI, MultiCloud, and the security offering from Oracle.

Neil Beveridge, APAC Oil, Gas & Energy Storage Analyst joins Diana Wood on the podcast this week to discuss CATL, a global leader in new energy innovative technologies and the largest battery maker today. Here, we discuss the basics – who they are, and who their customer base is – and delve into their capacity expansion plans for the future, their biggest competitors and how they think about their supply chain.

US Retailing Analyst Zhihan Ma joins host Sid Malkani this week to unpack multi-billion dollar global retailer Costco, self-described as a “membership warehouse club” and operating in 14 countries.We delve into the history of the club model, and where Costco fits into this strategy – from their unique pricing and branding strategy to the Kirkland brand as a whole. Plus, we look at Costco’s international strategy, and their runway for growth in other markets.

Senior Technology Analyst Boris Van joins Richard Moffat on the podcast this week to discuss the Chinese travel market. As Chinese consumers shift their rapidly growing disposable income towards experiential consumption, we discuss the potential growth of domestic vs. international travel, the competitive tension between travel agents, hotels and airlines, and finish with the material impact on global hotel room demand.