Top of the Morning
Subscribed: 7,505Played: 52,919
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
807 Episodes
Reverse
Good Morning, I’m Nelson John and here’s what you need to know today. Sensex crashed over 1,000 points as Trump’s tariff threats and AI disruption fears rattled Dalal Street. IT stocks got hammered, the rupee weakened to 90.95 against the dollar, and about three lakh crore in investor wealth was wiped out. In better news, India’s shipbuilding sector is gearing up for a game-changing $500M joint venture between Cochin Shipyard and HD Hyundai. We also break down three smart strategies to reduce your tax drag without disturbing your long-term compounding. And Kerala just officially became Keralam after the Union Cabinet approved the historic name change. Full episode out now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John, and on today's Top of the Morning: IDFC First Bank is reeling from a Rs 590 crore fraud at its Chandigarh branch — government money, forged cheques, and a 20% stock crash. Bharti Airtel is going all in on fintech, pumping Rs 20,000 crore into its NBFC arm to build one of India's biggest digital lending platforms. The $100,000 H-1B visa fee is backfiring on the US, turning India into a deep tech hiring magnet for Google, Amazon, and Microsoft. New draft tax rules are about to make it much harder to claim HRA on rent paid to your parents. And ONDC's dream of becoming the UPI of e-commerce is hitting some hard truths. Five stories. One theme: trust under pressure. Let's get into it.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. The US Supreme Court killed Trump's sweeping tariffs and Indian exporters in textiles, leather, gems, pharma, and engineering now face just 10 percent instead of 25. Real competitive edge over China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh but India already made concessions for a deal at 18 percent. That conversation is now live in Washington. Europe is rearming with $800 billion and Indian defense manufacturers are squarely in the frame. Karan Adani says he is personally working to bring Formula 1 back to India the Buddh Circuit comes bundled with the Jaypee acquisition, and this time there is a serious business case behind it. Brazil's Lula doubled his own trade target on the spot. And Karnataka wants to ban phones for under-16s. All of that on today's Top of the Morning.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. Today on Top of the Morning: India's boardrooms are creating a new C-suite role the Chief AI Officer. We also break down gold vs equities in 2026, the connectivity battle at Navi Mumbai Airport, Sridhar Vembu's bold AI prediction, and what the latest fresher hiring data means for India's young job seekers.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. On today's Top of the Morning: Gold just had its worst crash in 40 years, falling 21% from record highs after Trump named Kevin Warsh as the next Fed Chair. India is rolling out its first commercial semiconductor chip from Micron's Gujarat facility this month. The trade deficit blew out to $34.68 billion in January, nearly doubling year-on-year, driven by a surge in gold and silver imports right before the crash. PFC and REC are merging into a $61 billion power finance giant. And the RBI just opened the door for banks to fund M&A deals up to 75% of value, while clamping down hard on broker lending. Tune in now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John and today on Top of the Morning we're looking at a world in recalibration. India is about to host the biggest AI summit ever held in the Global South, but AI fears just wiped 5.7 lakh crore off Indian IT stocks. A new Fed Chair is about to change the game in Washington. India now has trade deals spanning 38 countries. And the UN says global growth is slowing but holding. Five stories, one theme. The rules are being rewritten. Listen now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, Welcome to Top of The Morning, I'm Nelson John.
A new analysis reveals US states have paid $199 billion in tariffs since March 2025, with $134 billion coming from key midterm battleground states. India's telecom sector posts its slowest growth in six quarters as tariff hike benefits fade. SBI surpasses TCS to become India's fourth largest company after record quarterly profits, a shift not seen in 15 years. And the RBI issues sweeping new guidelines to stop banks from mis-selling products and using dark patterns. Four stories about who really pays the price when the rules change.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Good Morning, I'm Nelson John. On today's episode of Top of the Morning: Hyderabad's real estate market is on fire with 200 million square feet sanctioned in 2025 alone, and a new district called Neopolis is being called the city's Manhattan with land prices crossing 150 crore per acre. Meanwhile, Sattva Group just entered Mumbai with a massive 11,000 crore redevelopment bet across six projects. On the tax front, the new draft income tax rules look simpler on paper but actually make choosing between old and new regimes harder than ever. And if you send money abroad, TCS on education and medical remittances just dropped from 5 percent to 2 percent. All this and more on today's show.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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
1Good 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
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!