The Core Report

On Episode 973 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Nilesh Shah, Managing Director at Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd in an excerpt from our recent Special Edition . SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (00:50) Why Is Crude Oil Not Over $100? (04:04) Indian Banks May Not Have Hedged Future Interest Payments In $127 Billion NRI Deposit Flows (07:24) Why Coppe...

On Episode 972 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Sheetal Sapale, Vice President at Pharmarack as well as Amar Sheth, Vice President of the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA). SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:32) Oil Prices Are Now Projected To Rise Higher, Leaving Markets In The Lurch (03:20) India’s SmallCap Index Hits A 52 Week High (0...

On Episode 971 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Rajiv Mitra, co-chair of the National Committee on Dairy of the Trade Promotion Council of India. We also feature an excerpt from our show How India’s Economy Works featuring Ananth Narayan , Economist and Former Whole Time Member, SEBI. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:31) A Fresh Battle With The Federal Reserve And...

India’s manufacturing problem may be more deeply rooted than it appears. In this episode of The Core Report Special Edition, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with economist Dr Surjit Bhalla about how protectionism is holding back Indian manufacturing, why private investment has lost momentum and whether India can realistically become a developed country by 2047. Surjit Bhalla examines...

Nilesh Shah explains why Mutual Funds must go beyond Equity as India’s investment landscape evolves toward debt, hybrid, gold, real estate, alternatives and unlisted investments. In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Nilesh Shah, MD, Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Co. Ltd, about the future of mutual funds in India, retail investors and the need for grea...

On Episode 968 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Arvind Chari, Chief Investment Strategist at Q India UK (affiliate of Quantum Advisors India) as well as Piyush Pandey, Senior Vice President, Institutional  Equity Research (Lead Analyst)-IT, Telecom, Internet and Power at Centrum India. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (00:50) Indian Markets Reel Under Oil Pr...

On Episode 967 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Vivek Rathi, National Director of Research at Knight Frank India. We also caught up with Dr. Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins SAIS on the sidelines of the Elara India Dialogue 2026 . SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Bond Markets Are Still Dragging...

On Episode 966 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Madhavi Arora, Chief Economist at Emkay Global as well as Gautam Shahi, Senior Director at Crisil Ratings. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Indian Markets Feel Pressure Of Rising Oil Prices And Global Bond Yields (03:16) India’s Rupee Hits Two Month High As Reserve Bank Brings Back Stability (07:42) Ind...

On Episode 965 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Anas Alhajji, energy economist, researcher and writer on the sidelines of the Elara India Dialogue 2026. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (00:51) Better Than Expected GDP Growth Is Causing Economists To Revise Their Full Year Numbers. (04:15) Oil Prices Begin Their Upward Journey Again. (06:08) Brokerages Weigh...

On Episode 964 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajai Chowdhry, Co-Founder of HCLTech and Member to the Advisory Board of India Semiconductor Mission.  SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:02) FIIs Stay Positive In August And Could Continue To In September (06:51) Forex Reserves Hit New Highs As Flows Continue (07:52) Oil Prices Are Slipping As Optimism Over Shipping M...

India’s retirement planning problem may be bigger than it looks. In this episode of The Core Report Special Edition, Financial Journalist Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Saurabh Mukherjea, Founder and CIO of Marcellus Investment Managers, about the ₹25 crore retirement reality, why retirement planning in India is getting harder and why even ₹5.5 crore may not be enough. Saurabh Mukherjea argues that...

ChatGPT could make brands invisible as consumers move from searching on Google to asking artificial intelligence what to buy, which companies to trust and which products best suit their needs. In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Financial Journalist Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Kirthiga Reddy, co-founder and CEO of OptimizeGEO.ai, about how AI search, Generative Engine Optimizatio...

On Episode 961 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Srivastava, Founder at the Global Trade Research initiative (GTRI) as well as Dr. Michael Chui, senior fellow at QuantumBlack, AI by McKinsey.  SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Benchmarks Slide Again Despite Oil Prices Falling (02:25) Only 40 Of 53 Companies That Listed Their Shares In 2026 Are Tra...

On Episode 960 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Shankkar Aiyar, economic journalist and author; Ajay Kedia, metal and commodities expert; as well as Manish Gupta, Deputy Chief Ratings Officer at Crisil Ratings.  SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Foreign Investors Are Still Wary Of India (05:44) Will The Government’s Overseas Roadshows For Investments...

On Episode 959 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ambareesh Baliga, Veteran Market Expert as well as Prasanna Tantri, Associate Professor of Finance and the Executive Director of the Centre for Analytical Finance at the Indian School of Business (ISB).  SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (00:50) Operation Economic Outcast Is Not As Bad As Feared (02:09) The US S...

On Episode 958 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Alok Agarwal, Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Alchemy Capital Management. We also feature an excerpt from our episode of How India’s Economy Works featuring Vidya Mahambare, Professor of Economics at the Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai.  SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Why Markets Are...

On Episode 957 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Shankkar Aiyar, economic journalist, columnist and author. We also feature an excerpt from our episode of How India’s Economy Works featuring Partha Chatterjee , Dean of Academics and Professor of Economics at ⁠Shiv Nadar University. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (03:43) FIIs Pick Up Buying, Will They Balance Out Risi...

India’s next investment boom could be emerging across AI infrastructure, defence and metals. In this episode of The Core Report Special Edition, Abhay Laijawala, MD & Chief Investment Officer, India, Lighthouse Canton, joins financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj to explain the biggest investment opportunities shaping India’s stock market and economy in 2026.From data centres and AI infrastruc...

India’s truck transition could become a $1 trillion opportunity as heavy-duty trucking shifts from diesel to LNG and electric trucks. In this episode of The Core Report Weekend Edition, Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Anirudh Bhuwalka, Founder and MD of Blue Energy Motors, about what this transition could mean for India’s manufacturing, logistics and commercial vehicle industry. India has around 4 m...

On Episode 954 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Atul Chaturvedi, Director at Shree Renuka Sugars as well as Umesh Sharma, Chief Investment Officer - Debt at The Wealth Company Mutual Fund. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:00) Will Indian Markets Hold Their Gains As US Treasury Yields Rise? (04:38) Did The Government Fail To Anticipate A Sugar Shortage, L...

On Episode 953 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Dr Kishore Jayaraman, OBE, Group CEO at UK India Business Council as well as Abhishek Bisen, Head of Fixed Income at Kotak Mutual Fund. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:14) Why Indian Markets Are Drifting Down (04:46) The Govt Steps Up Incentives For Piped Natural Gas Consumers (07:06) Global Bond Markets A...

On Episode 952 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Captain Sam Thomas, President at ALPA India. We also feature an excerpt from our Special Edition featuring Kaushlendra Sinha , CEO at IAGES. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:20) Oil Prices Inch Up Further, Dampen Mood In Indian Markets (02:43) Nifty50 Companies Report 10-Quarter Growth High Of 18% (06:02) N...

On Episode 951 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Puneet Gupta, Director–India & ASEAN Automotive Market at S&P Global Mobility as well as Anindya Banerjee, Head of Research for FX and Interest Rates at Kotak Securities. SHOW NOTES (00:00) Stories of the Day (01:18) Markets Stay Down As Oil Prices Wait For War Developments (04:11) The Rupee Fell To Its Weak...

On Episode 950 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research as well as Suvendu Bose, Partner at Grant Thornton Bharat LLP. SHOW NOTES (00:00) The Take (04:12) Foreign Investors Will Have It Easier To Buy Indian Stocks (05:44) Trump Quips Strait Of Hormuz To Be A US Territory (09:43) Why The Rs 10k Smartphone Might Be H...

India’s foreign investment problem may be bigger than it looks. In this episode of The Core Report Special Edition, Financial Journalist Govindraj Ethiraj speaks with Ajay Shah, Senior Research Fellow and Co-founder of XKDR Forum, about why foreign investment in India has slowed, why FDI flows have struggled to regain their earlier momentum, and what this could mean for India’s economic growth. Aj...