Top of the Morning
Subscribed: 7,110Played: 50,638
Subscribe
Description
Top of the Morning is a daily podcast hosted by Nelson John, in which we bring you all the action from the global markets and the business world to kick-start your day on a well-informed note. This is a Mint production, brought to you by HT Smartcast
799 Episodes
Reverse
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. This week saw $285 billion vanish from global software stocks after Anthropic's AI plugins launched. The India-US trade deal enters its final stretch with tariffs dropping to 18%. Your credit score is now being pulled by employers, insurers, and telecom companies. Sovereign gold bonds bought from secondary markets lose their tax-free status starting April. And MGNREGA is being phased out for a new scheme with a completely different funding structure. Five stories, one morning. Listen now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. In today's episode, we unpack five stories that reveal what happens when business as usual stops working.
IndiGo's December meltdown 4,500 cancelled flights just triggered a Competition Commission investigation. When you control 60% of the market and create artificial scarcity during peak demand, regulators take notice.
Vodafone Idea is back seeking ₹35,000 crore from banks. Supreme Court relief on AGR dues helps, but ₹1.25 trillion in spectrum payments and 7 million lost subscribers tell a different story.
Gold and silver just corrected sharply down 12% and 24% after historic rallies. Multi-asset fund managers are rebalancing, moving capital back to unloved equities.
India halved EV charger benchmark prices. A 60kW charger drops from ₹7.28 lakh to ₹3.4 lakh, easing fiscal burden while accelerating deployment.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today on Top of the Morning: President Trump claims India agreed to stop buying Russian oil, but industry insiders say 1.2 million barrels daily will keep flowing for months because contracts are already locked. Then, a US fighter jet shoots down an Iranian drone heading for an aircraft carrier just hours before announcing talks are still on for Friday in Istanbul. Gold and silver pulled off one of the wildest rides in decades, crashing 20% to 40% from record highs before bouncing back this week, exposing what analysts call a broken market structure. And the Reserve Bank of India is expected to pause rate cuts on Friday, shifting focus to liquidity operations as banking system pressures mount despite ₹6.6 lakh crore in support measures. When headlines say one thing but the details tell a different story, we break down what's actually happening.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today on Top of the Morning: India's Budget 2026 promises fiscal discipline while betting ₹12.2 lakh crore on infrastructure. Meanwhile, China posts a record $1.2 trillion trade surplus, proving tariffs couldn't stop its export machine. And closer to home, the government's ₹1.4 trillion telecom receipt target could spell trouble for Airtel's AGR relief hopes. Budget math, trade wars, and telecom tensions — all connected, all consequential.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today on Top of the Morning: Air India stares at a $1.6 billion loss as the Ahmedabad crash and Pakistan airspace closure derail its turnaround. India's $686 billion forex reserves look healthy on paper but there's a worrying trend underneath. Global giants Blackstone and Temasek are circling RCB in what could be cricket's biggest ownership deal. Sam Altman is in the Middle East hunting for $50 billion to fuel OpenAI's AI ambitions. And IndiGo's profits crashed 77% in a brutal December quarter. Let's break it all down.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today on Top of the Morning: Beijing just pulled the plug on battery export rebates and Indian EV makers are scrambling. We unpack what this means for prices at your local showroom. Then, the shadow fleet of oil tankers that moves 100 billion dollars worth of crude while dodging sanctions just got bigger. And finally, India and the EU are days away from signing what some are calling the mother of all trade deals. A 2 billion person market. A quarter of global GDP.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today on Top of the Morning: Apple just handed Siri's brain to Google in a billion-dollar deal that's reshaping the AI landscape. India's private space startups are pivoting hard toward defense contracts worth hundreds of crores. China just pulled the plug on solar export rebates, and Indian manufacturers are celebrating. Plus, India's highways are going barrier-free with AI-powered tolling. And why smartphone makers are pushing back against India's new security proposals
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. The DOJ just subpoenaed Fed Chair Powell in what critics call an attack on central bank independence. India gets invited to Pax Silica, America's chip alliance. Japan's MUFG is pouring $4.4 billion into Shriram Finance amid governance debates. India's electronics sector targets $500 billion by 2030. And health-tech startups bet on AI to keep you engaged. Five stories, one theme: who controls the future?
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John, and today we're looking at how the world is reorganizing itself. The US just walked away from 66 international organizations, but the UN says the energy transition continues regardless. Europe is scrambling to build its own military without American backing. Oil markets are heading toward a massive surplus that could crash prices. India is buying 6,000 more electric buses while its exporters are frantically finding new customers beyond America. Five stories about power shifting in real time.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John.
Today on Top of the Morning, we dig into the uncomfortable truths behind India's newly approved airlines. One has directors convicted in court. Another is led by a promoter who went from driving a tempo to planning a 30-plane fleet. We also unpack what the rupee hitting 91 means for your portfolio and for families planning overseas education. Plus, why Big Tech is fighting India's plan to make AI companies pay for the data they scrape. It's a reality check kind of morning.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning. I'm Nelson John.
India's IT ministry gives X a 72-hour ultimatum over Grok's explicit content. The semaglutide patent war could slash weight-loss drug prices by 90%. A steel cartel bombshell names 56 executives including Sajjan Jindal and TV Narendran. Japanese giants MUFG and Nidec double down on India GCCs. And the finance ministry weighs a major credit guarantee for microfinance lenders.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, Welcome to top of The Morning, I'm Nelson John..
The US capture of Venezuelan President Maduro has sent gold past $4,400 an ounce, reinforcing its role as the world's geopolitical hedge. Silver is having an even bigger moment, with ETF inflows tripling in India and returns hitting 137% in 2025. Meanwhile, the SHANTI Bill opens India's nuclear sector to private investment for the first time since independence. And in wellness, Dabur and Hamdard are racing to reinvent themselves as D2C brands like Kapiva and Wellbeing Nutrition capture Gen Z. Today on Top of the Morning.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The RBI just announced 3 trillion rupees in liquidity support to stabilize banks and the rupee. Swiggy Instamart opened a physical store in Gurugram a surprising move in the quick commerce wars. Samsung revealed India is now its most critical engineering hub outside South Korea, even as it fights to regain market share. Gold and silver hit record highs, posting their strongest gains since 1979 amid Fed rate cuts and geopolitical tensions. And 3.6 million Indians are voluntarily revising their tax returns before the December 31 deadline. From monetary policy to retail experiments to precious metals here's what you need to know.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
On today's episode: Italy hits Apple with a €98 million fine over App Tracking Transparency. Indian IT giants TCS, Infosys and Wipro pivot hard toward AI integration. India's 850,000 cooperatives face pressure to go digital. Smartwatches earn medical certifications for hypertension tracking. And the India Oman trade deal opens new doors amid global tariff pressures.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week: Indian Railways announces its second fare hike of the year, adding 10 to 28 rupees on long-distance trips. India's capital formation slumps to a decade low as households pour money into gold instead of productive investments. IndiaRF looks to exit Synthimed Labs at a billion-dollar valuation. Defence and aerospace startups like Skyroot are now competing with Big Tech for IIT engineers. And in St. Petersburg, 17 Indians including a former software developer are cleaning streets, earning 1.1 lakh rupees a month in a country desperate for labour.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The rupee's slide past 90 is hitting travellers beyond just US-bound trips. IndiGo's flight chaos reveals a pattern of reactive governance. TRAI proposes slashing backhaul spectrum charges. The $70 billion data centre rush runs into resource constraints. And record-low inflation might not be the good news it appears. What connects them? Systems under stress.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
AI stocks now make up 30% of the S&P 500 is a bubble brewing? India's burnout crisis hits Parliament with the Right to Disconnect Bill. RBI slams the door on stablecoins and bets on the Digital Rupee. Netflix makes an $83 billion play for Warner Bros that could reshape India's streaming wars. Plus, Acko preps for a blockbuster IPO. Five stories shaping money, markets, and policy all in one episode.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Top Of The Morning. I'm Nelson John.
In this episode, we explore how India's UPI has become the world's largest real-time payment system, processing more daily transactions than Visa globally. We break down Mexico's new 50% tariffs threatening nearly $2 billion in Indian auto exports. We follow the story of how Prada turned a cultural appropriation controversy into an $800 collaboration with Indian artisans. We examine Amazon's massive $75 billion commitment to India across e-commerce, cloud, and quick commerce. And we unpack Disney's surprising $1 billion investment in OpenAI that brings Mickey Mouse to AI video generation.
From street-level payments to billion-dollar boardroom deals, this episode connects the dots on how money, trade, and technology are reshaping business across the globe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John..
In this episode, we unpack five major developments reshaping India's economic and trade landscape. We start with the government's exploration of higher ethanol blends beyond E20, including E23 and E27, and why the auto industry is pushing for flex-fuel vehicles instead. Then we examine the US-India trade negotiations happening under the shadow of a Supreme Court case that could invalidate Trump's tariffs entirely. We break down TCS's $700 million acquisition of Coastal Cloud and what it signals about the future of India's largest IT services company. Next, we look at the Trump Gold Card visa programme that's now accepting applications, offering US residency for $1 million. Finally, we analyse how India's export diversification strategy is paying off despite steep US tariffs, with China, Spain, and Russia emerging as growing markets.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Welcome to Top of the Morning, I'm Nelson John.
Peak XV's Meesho IPO success. AI's enterprise determinism problem. Adani's 15,000 crore bankruptcy play. RCB's $2 billion sale question. China's eight-month manufacturing slump. Five stories that show how money, technology, and power are being repositioned globally.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
This is a very well produced newscast, and maintains that consistent quality and structure day after day! Not to forget, Nelson John is an absolutely top notch narrator. Great job, folks!