The Core Report

On Episode 545 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Madhavi Arora, Chief Economist, Emkay Global Financial Services as well as Aditya Valiathan Pillai, Visiting Fellow at Sustainable Futures Collaborative. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:09) Markets crackle in slog overs to close last financial year in positive (02:14) Gold hits a fresh record high, up 37%...

He built India's first data centre when the term didn't even exist. Today, he's powering the AI revolution. In this special episode of The Core Report Special Edition, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Sharad Sanghi, founder of NetMagic and CEO of NEYSA, about the evolution of India’s data centre industry — from server closets in the early 2000s to AI-powered hyperscale campuses today. What you’ll lea...

In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Financial Journalist Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with R.S. Subramanian, Senior Vice President South Asia at DHL Express, to explore how global logistics is evolving amid economic uncertainty, supply chain complexity, and geopolitical shifts. From India's emergence as a global manufacturing hub to DHL's on-ground response during the Nepal earthquake,...

On Episode 542 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Bagga, veteran investor and market analyst as well as Ajay Srivastava, Founder of Global Trade Research Initiative. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:09) Markets survive a fresh volley of tariff fire (03:29) How FIIs continue to drive sentiment and price movements (14:29) Goldman raises its year end gol...

On Episode 541 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Dr. Suresh Itapu, Chairman of the Soy Food Promotion and Welfare Association (SFPWA) as well as Himanshu Parekh, Partner and Head of Tax (West) at KPMG Assurance & Consulting Services LLP. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:41) Markets retreat as tariff fears reign once again. FII buying at $2 billion in four days....

On Episode 540 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Manish Gupta, Senior Director and Deputy Chief Ratings Officer, Crisil Ratings Limited. We also feature an excerpt from our recently released Business Books Edition featuring author and entrepreneur K Ganesh. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Markets halt their rally but hold in positive despite fresh ta...

On Episode 539 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Garima Kapoor, Economist and Executive Vice President at Elara Securities (India) as well as Anindya Banerjee, Head of Research for Forex and Interest Rates at Kotak Securities. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:08) The stockmarkets pull back their entire 2025 losses (04:43) The Rupee gains for ninth session...

On Episode 538 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Nilesh Shah, Managing Director at Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company as well as Shankhadeep Mukherjee, Principal Analyst at CRU. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (05:38) The stock markets were up 3,000 points last week, on a strong holding pattern (07:33) Rupee is strong, forex reserves hit 3 month high (08:07) Iraq...

🎙 In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Bank, on how DBS transformed from a traditional bank into the world’s best digital bank.🔍 Discover how AI, customer obsession, and cultural change helped DBS lead a fintech revolution — and how they're using embedded finance, predictive analytics, and Gen AI to reshape banking in 19 co...

On Episode 536 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Sheetal Sapale, Vice President (Commercial) at Pharmarack as well as Sumit Mitra, CEO at Tesco Business Solutions. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) The markets are on a strong wicket, add another 899 points (01:59) Wall Street takes solace from Federal Reserve comments on the transitory impact of inflat...

On Episode 535 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Kunal Bajaj, CEO & Co-Founder at CloudExtel as well as Randheer Singh, CEO ForeSee Advisors and former Director E-Mobility, NITI Aayog. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (07:43) Midcaps clock best day in 9 months (09:51) Gold prices once again hit fresh highs, rupee strengthens further (13:02) Remittances from US and...

On Episode 534 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ambareesh Baliga, Veteran Market Expert as well as Safi Ahsan Rizvi, Advisor at the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:09) Markets build on its relief rally as bottom fishing kicks off (02:36) Julius Baier downgrades US equities, eyes China & India stocks (10...

On Episode 533 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Surendra Mehta, National Secretary at the Indian Bullion & Jewellers Association as well as Amit Prothi, Director General at the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Markets edge up even as prominent IPOs get hammered. (02:18) Trump has wiped out a...

On Episode 532 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Deepak Jayaraman, leadership coach and host of the podcast Play To Potential . We also feature an excerpt from our Weekend Edition interview with Y S Chakravarti, Managing Director and CEO at Shriram Finance. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (00:50) Why retail investing can be dangerous (07:30) Gold prices hit...

Why do business loans drive economic growth while consumer debt can be risky? In this conversation with Y.S. Chakravarti, we explore the power of smart lending, how financing entrepreneurs creates jobs, and why funding business assets is better than fueling consumption. From real-world lending experiences to lessons on financial discipline, this discussion covers:1.⁠ ⁠The key differences between b...

On Episode 530 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ketan Dalal, founder of Katalyst Advisors and former Managing Partner (West) and Joint Tax Leader of PwC India. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take: Cooked In Washington and Served in India (05:29) The stock markets struggle against headwinds (06:26) Inflows into Mutual Funds fall to 10-month low (07:16) Retail inflation do...

On Episode 529 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Sumit Jain, Deputy CIO at ASK Investment Managers Private Limited as well as Karan Taurani, Senior Vice President - Research Analyst (Media, Consumer Discretionary & Internet) at Elara Capital. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:09) Can The Sensex Hit 105,000 by December 2025 (03:33) Going back to the 101...

On Episode 528 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Arvind Chari, Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Q India UK (affiliate of Quantum Advisors India) as well as Vikash Agarwalla, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group (BCG). SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) The US is headed into recession and India into recovery (03:36) Why India stands...

On Episode 527 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Dhairyashil Patil, President of the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF). SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:50) The markets saw their best week in three months, where will they go next? (07:50) The dollar is weak and the rupee is steady (08:20) Large gold shipments continue to move around the w...

AI is reshaping the future of consumer goods, logistics, and quick commerce. In this conversation, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Suresh Narayanan, Chairman & MD of Nestlé India, about how AI is helping companies optimize supply chains, demand forecasting, procurement, and distribution. From reducing logistics costs by 500 million rupees to using AI for better coffee and cocoa price predictions...

On Episode 525 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to G Chokkalingam, Founder, Equinomics Research & Advisory Pvt Ltd as well as C S Vigneshwar, President, Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (03:43) Markets continue their upward rise on lower oil prices (15:01) The RBI could tighten norms for lending against gold in si...

On Episode 524 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Chandrakant Lahariya, Consultant Physician and Founder- Director Foundation for People-centric Health Systems (FPHS) as well as Prabhu Dhamodharan, Convenor at the Indian Texpreneurs Federation. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:41) The markets stage a smart rebound. Will they hold (07:17) Reliance Retail’s valuation...

On Episode 523 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Dr Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Markets on standby as tariff bombs start dropping (03:12) Oil prices are sliding down now even as gold prices look up (04:27) Trump friendly WSJ calls tariffs the dumbest move for whacking friends n...

On Episode 522 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Bagga, veteran market analyst as well as Captain Sam Thomas, President of the Airline’s Pilots Association of India (ALPA). SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (00:50) Markets on pause as more tariff bombs start flying (14:26) Why does the Government like gold? (16:19) FDI into India has fallen in the last qu...

On Episode 521 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Madan Sabnavis, Chief Economist at Bank of Baroda as well as Ajit Velonie, Senior Director at CRISIL Ratings Ltd. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (05:38) Can Indian markets recover from this drubbing? (09:53) India’s GDP last year was now 9.2%. It has emerged even as GDP for the third quarter rises (11:13) Outlook for t...