The humbling of the high and mighty, diplomatic charm offensives, pep talks, and of course, results galore… the week gone by had no dearth of action, and kept the studio on its toes. Here's some of the buzz:

Aditi: As always, it seems to be win-some, lose-some for India Inc. in the June quarter too.

Vikram: You bet. The big worry is that rising input cost pressures are beginning to show for many players. Crompton Greaves' whopping 58 per cent drop in profits left behind a shocked market. No wonder the stock has received a solid whipping.

Aditi: Exide Industries too has been hammered following a dip in profits. And by the looks of it, more such cases may be in the offing. Wipro's tepid results and muted guidance are also nothing to write home about.

Vikram: But there are also those who have bucked the trend, and how! HDFC Bank, for one, has grown its profits by almost a third, on the back of strong growth in its interest income. Now that's a commendable performance in a tough macro-environment.

Aditi: Giving it good company in the ‘winners club' is Petronet LNG. A strong showing on both the gas volumes and price front more than doubled the company's profits. The markets, of course,cheered and took the stock to its all-time high.

Vikram: On the other hand, at an all-time low, is media mogul Rupert Murdoch. The phone-tapping scandal at News of the World saw this once-all-powerful news baron repeatedly apologise and eat humble pie. It remains to be seen whether Murdoch's empire survives the storm.

Aditi: Also, in the thick of a storm - once again - is Amar Singh. With the Supreme Court breathing down the CBI's neck in the cash-for-votes scandal, investigations have picked up pace. Wonder where this road will finally lead?

Vikram: For the moment though, many global roads seem to lead to India. The latest high profile visitor was US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. In her visits to Delhi and Chennai, she waxed eloquent about the country and its potential.

Aditi: Also betting on the country's prospects and the government's ability to steer it through current challenges is Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. His pep talk this week sought to rebut the cynics.

Vikram: And yes, the FM is also confident about meeting the Rs 40,000 crore disinvestment target for the year. Wonder why then his ministry is pushing the Department of Telecom to auction the broadband spectrum.

Aditi: Hmmm… all said and done, there is no denying that times are tough. With inflation still ruling high and after a series of interest rate hikes, many companies are expected to come under strain. Bankers too, fearing a further slowdown in credit offtake, have asked the RBI for a pause.

Vikram: Well, I don't envy the RBI Governor's job, at least not now. He's being pulled in all directions!

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