

The Core Report
The Core
Every Monday to Saturday, tune in as financial journalist and host Govindraj Ethiraj gives you the latest news in business, economy and technology
Episodes
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Sep 18, 2025 • 33min
#681 The Markets Rise On Tariff Developments
On Episode 681 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Amit Prothi, Director General at Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure as well as Ambareesh Baliga, Veteran Market Expert.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(00:50) The markets rise on tariff developments and rate cuts(04:26) How far can domestic flows support markets?(12:36) How Mumbai is India’s millionaire capital(14:24) Building more disaster resilience is critical if we are to learn from the extreme weather events we saw in recent months in Indiahttps://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 17, 2025 • 22min
#680 Markets Rise Again On Tariff Talks
On Episode 680 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Karan Taurani, Executive Vice President (Media, Retail, Consumer Discretionary & Internet) at Elara Capital.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) Markets rise again on tariff talks(02:22) How it’s been a year and the markets have not gone anywhere(05:02) Where are GST savings in households really likely to go?(14:45) Rolls Royce expands in India, sets up largest GCC in India(15:36) Chip wars break out again, with China at the centre(16:53) Where US customers can learn from Indiahttps://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 16, 2025 • 35min
#679 Markets Are Buoyant As Indices Hit Two Month Highs
On Episode 679 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Priyanka Kishore, Director and Principal Economist at Asia Decoded as well as Ashwin Mehta, Head of Research at Ambit Institutional Equities.SHOW NOTES(00:00) The Take(03:53) Markets are buoyant as indices hit two month highs, should we thank trade optimism.(08:46) Analysing the once hot IT sector, what lies within and what lies ahead?(24:08) Indonesia is seeing street protests, the finance minister has resigned, what’s going on and what can we take away?https://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 15, 2025 • 36min
#678 'Run it hot', The Wall Street Theme Playing Out Here Too
On Episode 678 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Kedia is the Founder and Director of Kedia Capital Services as well as Rajiv Mitra, Food and Dairy industry expert. We also feature excerpts from a recent panel discussion on AI and Agentic AI with several business leaders at Season 9 of the Accenture B School Challenge.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(00:50) Run it hot, the Wall Street theme playing out here too.(05:36) Gold prices hit fresh highs. How much further?(11:07) What happens if India opens its market to American premium cheese?(18:44) How enterprises from shoes to beer and tyres are using AI at work.https://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 14, 2025 • 20min
#677 The Tariff Overhang Continues
On Episode 677 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Nikhil Varma, Technical Lead, India at Algorand.SHOW NOTES(00:00) The Take(04:12) The tariff overhang continues but markets have forgotten them(09:05) How real world enterprises are building on blockchain(18:21) The rains are leaving earlyhttps://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 12, 2025 • 41min
#676 From Zero To 400,000 Tonnes The Epic Comeback Of Maggi Noodles | Govindraj Ethiraj | The Core Report
From zero to a powerhouse again, this is the inside story of Maggi noodles in India. Former Nestlé India chief Suresh Narayanan shares how a beloved brand fell, rebuilt trust, and scaled to about 400,000 tonnes a year.We explore GST rate cuts, inflation pressure on middle India, premiumization, digital first marketing, e commerce distribution, and what it takes to spark consumer love in a crowded market.If you care about brand turnarounds, manufacturing scale, and the future of FMCG in India, this conversation delivers playbook level insights with real numbers and hard lessons.What you will learn• How Maggi rebuilt trust and demand after a national crisis• Why GST cuts can unlock consumption and improve FMCG margins• How premiumization and Gen Z tastes reshape noodles and coffee• Nescafe growth, out of home to in home flywheel, where Nespresso fits• Data versus gut in pricing, media spend, and channel strategy• How legacy brands counter 400 local challengers with speed and relevance• First principles for brand managers in an AI and marketplace worldTimestamps:(00:00) – Introduction1.35 – What do GST rate cuts mean for daily consumption?(03:00) – How has inflation shifted spending from discretionary to essentials?(04:55) – Which has hit harder—input price rise or household budget pressures?(06:55) – How are today’s spending pressures different from earlier cycles?(09:05) – How has the Indian consumer evolved over the last 35 years?(14:00) – What has changed in Nestlé’s brands and their connection with consumers?(16:15) – Do enduring brands suggest unchanging consumer desires?(18:40) – How has out-of-home coffee culture impacted Nescafé?(23:04) – How does Maggi respond to rising regional competition?(28:31) – How do you advertise to Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers?(36:55) – What guiding principles should young brand managers follow today?(39:10) – Closing remarksWatch for practical takeaways you can use this quarter. Like and subscribe if you want deeper dives on India business, tech, and manufacturing stories.

Sep 11, 2025 • 32min
#675 Is India Riding A Global Market Boom Or Trailing It?
On Episode 675 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Ajay Srivastava, Founder at Global Trade Research Initiative as well as Gulam Zia, Executive Director at Knight Frank.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the day(01:00) Is India riding a global market boom or trailing it?(06:17) Welcome to a decade of dust as over 910 societies sign up for redeveloping their properties in Mumbai city.(17:06) India’s non tariff barriers are almost machiavelian in design and implementation as many importers have found.(28:32) Air India CEO reiterates nothing wrong with Ahmedabad plane or operations referring to preliminary report.(29:28) Mahindra says it will issue advisory on impact of ethanol blended fuel as controversy continues to rage.https://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 10, 2025 • 27min
#674 Markets Jump Again
On Episode 674 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Tarun Pathak, Research Director at Counterpoint Research as well as Pushan Sharma, Director at Crisil Intelligence.SHOW NOTES(00:00) The Take(04:31) Markets jump again as Trump appears to smoke a peace pipe.(07:04) No GST rate cuts on mobile phones but sales are expected to be strong, picking up on Apple’s latest iPhone 17(16:50) This year’s monsoons have been excessive and hurt crop production. What should policy makers do next?https://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 9, 2025 • 22min
#673 The Markets Return To Pre 50% Tariff Levels
On Episode 673 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Anuj Gupta, Commodity Expert, Suresh Narayanan, former Chairman and Managing Director of Nestle India as well as Apoorva Bajaj, Founder of Edubuk.SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) The markets return to pre 50% tariff levels as economy appears to absorb shocks.(03:14) Another $20 billion of IPOs could come this year(05:52) How Indian consumers are satiating their appetite for gold despite prices rising to record levels.(10:00) Pressured Indian households will welcome lower prices on items of daily consumption. But household priorities have changed too.(17:22) How a university in the US confirms whether a certificate from an Indian university is a genuine one.https://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

Sep 8, 2025 • 30min
#672 Markets Fail To Hold Onto Gains
On Episode 672 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to C S Vigneshwar, President, FADA as well as Adam Wolfe, Emerging Markets Economist at Absolute Strategy Research (ASR).SHOW NOTES(00:00) Stories of the Day(01:00) Markets fail to hold onto gains, steel, auto stocks shine(02:52) India is set to outstrip China in oil demand(03:38) Gold hits a fresh high, quick reminder, bullion is up 38% this year(05:10) How auto dealers are happy tax rates are down but they want to be compensated for higher priced inventory(15:40) How Tesla’s US market share has hit an 8 year low(17:26) Why foreign investors are selling for more than a decade now and the story from 1998 - 2016. A deep dive discussionhttps://www.investing-referral.com/aff303Subscribe to our NewsletterFollow us on:Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube


