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Adani: 6 entities under lens for suspicious trading: SC panel on Adani crash


NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court-appointed expert committee headed by former SC judge AM Sapre emphatically declared that there was no regulatory failure on Sebi’s part during the sharp rise in share prices of Adani group companies between March 2020 and December 2022, and their dramatic meltdown after publication of the Hindenburg report this January 24.
The committee, which submitted its report to the SC, said it found no evidence to suggest that the rise in prices of Adani scrips during the period concerned had to do with unusual trading or participation in buying or selling of scrips of the group companies by 12 foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), suspected to be linked to the group which have been under investigation since October 2020 for alleged violation of 25% minimum public shareholding (MPS) norm.

However, “Sebi examined whether there has been any unusual trading pattern proximate to the release of the Hindenburg report… between January 18-31. While there was no adverse observation with respect to Adani scrips in the cash segment, suspicious trading has been observed on the part of six entities”, it said.
“These are four FPIs, which are not among the 12 FPIs suspected to be linked to Adani group and under investigation for violation of MPS norms, and one corporate body and one individual. The trading pattern (adopted by these six) is suspicious because of the build-up of short positions…in the Adani positions prior to the Hindenburg report, and substantial profits earned by them by squaring off their short positions after publication of the Hindenburg report…” it added.
LIC sold 50L AEL shares at ₹300, bought 4.8cr at ₹1,031-3,859: Panel
An analysis by the Supreme Court-appointed expert committee chaired by ex-SC judge A M Sapre of trading in Adani Enterprises (AEL) shares in four patches between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2022, a month before publication of the Hindenburg report and meltdown of Adani shares, showed that LIC was the biggest loser as it sold off 50 lakh AEL shares when prices hovered around Rs 300 and bought 4.8 crore AEL shares when the prices ranged between Rs 1,031 and Rs 3,859.
After a detailed scrutiny of the movement of prices of Adani shares and their sale and purchase by different entities, the committee found no evidence of price manipulation of stocks by companies linked to the Adani group or others. It emphasised that LIC chose to sell group stocks when others, including big mutual funds and FPIs, were picking up large quantities of them, and that Adani-linked entities were responsible for only a minuscule part of the volume of trading.
Trading of AEL shares was analysed in four periods – Patch I: March 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020; Patch II: September 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020; Patch III: October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021; and Patch IV: April 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2022.

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Adani: Supreme Court to Sebi: Submit status of Adani probe within three months, not six


NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Sebi to submit by August 14 the status of probe into Hindenburg’s allegations of stock price manipulations against Adani group companies but refused to convert the court proceedings into a roving inquiry, including investigations into the alleged role the LIC, which had invested a substantial amount in Adani companies. Sebi had sought six months to complete the probe.
A bench of CJI D Y Chandrachud, Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala said, “We are dealing right now with the fallout of Hindenburg report. The purpose of these proceedings is not… to conduct a roving inquiry. We will deal with whatever is directly related to the Hindenburg report, which the SG said the Sebi will be filing an affidavit.”

If SC wants, we can place on record all Adani probes: SG
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked Sebi to submit by August 14 the status of probe into Hindenburg’s stock price manipulations allegations against Adani group companies.
When one of the PIL petitioners said that LIC had also invested huge amounts in Adani group companies and that the role of the public insurance company should be investigated, the CJI-led bench said, “Just because some PIL petitioners ask, should we order a probe against LIC? We have asked Sebi as the statutory regulator to appraise us of the position of investigation. Let us first understand the stage of investigation after it submits a report to us.”

Advocate Prashant Bhushan reflected the demands made on social media by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh linking the 2016 Sebi probe into Global Deposit Receipts issue and said the FPIs – Cresta Fund Ltd, Albula Fund Ltd and APMS Fund Ltd, whose accounts were frozen – were mentioned by Hindenburg as investors in Adani group companies.
“How did this escape Sebi scrutiny,” he asked and demanded that Sebi should be asked to file details of all three probes by SEBI – 2016 into GDR issue; 2020 into Minimum Public Shareholding norms violations and the 2023 Hindenburg report – before the SC. There is a widespread perception that the Adani group is being shielded from facing action for violations for the last seven eight years, he alleged.

SG Tushar Mehta said, “I want to clear the air. The 2016 probe is completely different. But if the court wants, we can place on record all the investigations that have been done against Adani group.”
He said social media discussion on MoS finance’s statement in Parliament is being discussed in court. “The minister was referring to the Sebi probe into MPS norm violations which commenced in October 2020” the SG said and read out a fresh affidavit, details of which were published in TOI on May 16.

01:13

Submit report on Adani-Hindenburg probe by August 14, SC tells SEBI

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LIC ups stakes in 4 Adani companies



MUMBAI: Amid heavy selling in all 10 Adani Group stocks since January-end, life insurance major LIC marginally increased its holdings in at least four companies of the airports-to-FMCG conglomerate, quarterly shareholding disclosures by companies showed.
The shareholding of Adani companies, as of March 31, also showed that retail investors increased their stakes in most stocks while mutual funds cut their exposure. For foreign investors, it was a mixed bag.
In the March quarter, LIC increased its holding in Adani Green Energy, Adani Total Gas, Adani Transmission and Adani Enterprises, kept its exposure unchanged in ACC, while reduced its stake in Adani Ports and Ambuja Cements.
Shareholding disclosures by the three remaining companies within the group – Adani Power, Adani Wilmar and NDTV – did not show any holding by LIC. This could either be because the life insurance major holds less than 1% in each of these companies or doesn’t own any shares. Listing rules specify that the names of only those shareholders that hold 1% or more in a company have to be disclosed to exchanges.
The latest shareholding patterns of Adani companies also showed that in group flagship Adani Enterprises, retail shareholders increased their stake by more than a percentage point to 7.9%, while mutual funds cut their stake in the company to 0.9% from 1.2%. Foreign funds too increased their stake in the company to 17.8% from 15.4% but this was largely because on March 2, the promoters sold nearly 4% in the company to GQG Partners, a US-based entity registered here as a foreign portfolio investor.
In three other companies too – Adani Ports, Adani Green Energy and Adani Transnission – the promoters had sold some minor part of their stakes to GQG Partners. Consequently, promoter holdings in these companies have also come down during the last quarter.





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Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification shows BJP’s dictatorial mindset: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel | India News



PM Narendra Modi can’t escape questions about Adani, and BJP’s resort to legal cover to disqualify Rahul from LS is a stark manifestation of its dictatorial attitude, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel tells TOI’s Subodh Ghildiyal. Excerpts from the interview:
How do you see the whole drama about Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification?
This is dictatorial mindset of BJP. They are orchestrating an elaborate theatre to evade answering just one specific question — where did Rs 20,000 crore in Adani’s shell companies come from? Dictators around the world resort to such tactics — scare the opposition, put leaders in jail and disqualify them from Parliament. Rahul says “daromat” and they are out to scare him. The truth is that the dictator is worried as to what will happen if people stop being scared of him? The truth is the government was worried how long could they shut the Parliament just to stop Rahul from speaking.
BJP is alleging that Rahul insulted OBCs? Are Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi OBCs?
They are upper class. Modi surname is written by many, like Piloo Modi was a Parsi. My surname Baghel is used by tribals, Rajputs, even SCs in Chhattisgarh. I am an OBC. Yo u can project Congress in whatever light y ou want, but answer the question: who put Rs 20,000 crore in Adani’s companies.
Polls are due in Chhattisgarh this year and the state will be a focus area of BJP’s campaign that Rahul’s remark on Modi surname is anti-OBCs, like the PM’s appeal to Sahu community in 2019. How would you deal with it?
“Kaath ki handi ek bar chadti hai”. What has the PM done for Sahus or Telis or OBCs? They will not vote every time. If you are such a benefactor of OBCs, then why don’t you order “caste census”? Chhattisgarh’s bill increasing reservation for backwards and tribals is p ending with the governor for four months. If you are so sympathetic to OBCs, then get our bill approved. BJP’s national vicepresident Thakur Raman Singh called me a “Chhota aadmi”, and I am a CM and anOBC. In Bhanupratappur bypolls, Raman Singh called me “a rat, a dog, a cat” in public. This is the mindset of BJP’s Thakur Raman Singh about OBCs. The Modi government is targeting OBC leaders — Teja shwi Yadav, M Stalin, Akhilesh Yadav. In Chhattisgarh, the ED has made a permanent station. Are you doing anything good for OBCs, by action or attitude?
Congress made Rafale an issue but it did not fly with people? Will your focus on Adani have popular resonance?
This is a big issue. After Hindenburg report, Adani has fallen from second richest man to nobody knows which rank. The funds of LIC and SBI has been inv ested in Adani firms. The share value has fallen. The ED and I-T haven’t gone to Adani, while the opposition-governed states are raided daily. People will understand the truth. When water is released from dam, it takes time to reach the tail end.
How big a setback is Rahul’s disqualification for the party?
This is not a setback for Congress. It has proved how scared the Modi government is of Congress and Rahul.





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Parliament: Adani and UK remarks issues stall Parliament yet again; war of words between BJP, Congress gets ugly: Top developments | India News



NEW DELHI: Several opposition party leaders on Tuesday held a protest in the corridors of Parliament and raised slogans demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue, even as the BJP accused the opposition MPs of repeatedly insulting Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar and stalling the parliamentary process.
Both houses of Parliament adjourned early amid uproar over the Adani issue and demand by ruling party members that Rahul Gandhi apologise for his ‘democracy in danger’ remarks.

The opposition leaders also hung a banner that read “We want JPC” from the first floor of the Parliament building.
The House will meet again on March 23.
TMC MPs held a separate protest in the Parliament complex and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the Adani issue.

Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any significant business so far due to the impasse during the second part of the Budget session of Parliament that started on March 13.
Here are the top developments:
Irresponsible Opposition wilfully stalling Parliament: Piyush Goyal
Union minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday accused the Opposition of willfully stalling Parliament with its “irresponsible” comments and “unfounded” allegations to mislead the country amid global recognition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

Goyal, joined by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi, accused the Opposition of repeatedly insulting Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar by refusing to even meet him.
Even on Tuesday, some parties including the Congress did not attend the meeting called by him. Though they were present in the meeting called by Speaker Om Birla, he alleged.
Kharge stopped from speaking: Congress
The Congress hit back at Goyal and said that the Leader of the House got “his MPs to prevent the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge from speaking twice after the Chairman had permitted him”.

“Piyush Goyal is accusing Oppn of boycotting meeting called by Chairman RS. This is from the Leader of the House who got his MPs to prevent LoP Kharge ji from speaking twice after Chairman had permitted him. Silencing of LoP is also an issue quite apart from the JPC on Adani,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter.
In another tweet, Ramesh said, “How can the Oppn demand for a JPC into the PM-linked Adani scam be linked to the BJP’s demand for an apology from Rahul Gandhi on totally baseless accusations. The JPC is on a real, documented scam. The apology demand is a hoax being raised to divert attention from the Adani scam.”
Ramesh said this morning Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Kharge was given permission by the Chairman to speak and got up to do so but was not allowed by sloganeering BJP MPs. “Chairman then adjourned RS. How can the logjam be broken if Modi Government behaves like this,” he said.
Rahul present-day Mir Jafar: BJP
BJP leader Sambit Patra hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and said that he is the “present-day Mir Jafar” of Indian Polity and said that he has to apologise for his remarks in the UK.
Mir Jafar was a military general who betrayed Siraj ud-Daulah and helped the East India Company in the battle of Plassey in June 1757. Siraj was captured soon thereafter and later executed.
“He always defames the nation. He is the present-day Mir Jafar of Indian Polity,” Patra said, adding: “He insulted the country and ask the foreign power to intervene in the country. This is a consistent ‘conspiracy’ of Congress and Rahul Gandhi. His participation is least in Parliament and he says that no one allows him to speak.”
Patra further said: “Mir Zafar did the same thing, he gave 24 Parganas to get help from East India Company and now Rahul is doing the same kind of politics.”
“He is asking for help from foreign countries to become ‘Sahzada’ in India, Patra added.
Further, attacking Gandhi on his remarks of saying ‘unfortunately I’m an MP,’ Patra said, “Rahul Gandhi doesn’t know what to say. He speaks only with the help of Jairam Ramesh. He himself said that ‘unfortunately I am an MP”.
Criticising government is not criticising the nation: Congress
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday slammed BJP leader Sambit Patra after the latter compared Rahul Gandhi with Mir Jafar and said that he would soon get a “strong answer”.

While talking to the mediapersons, Khera said, “Criticizing government is not criticizing the nation. Government should understand this. The debate does not make democracy weaken instead it strengthens it. The government is doing this drama because they are trying to escape the opposition’s questions.”
“They are worried that Rahul Gandhi might again ask the PM about his relations with Adani. There is no JPC probe yet, this is the reason they are creating so much drama,” he added.
He added, “He will get a strong answer soon. We are also learning from them (BJP) how to give answers. Soon action will be done on his statement.”
Taking a barb at the BJP, he said the party will be seen as “Jai Chands” in history and claimed its ideological forefathers were known apologisers of the British.
A fictional account of King Jayachandra (aka Jaichand) occurs in a legendary text

Prithviraj Raso

.
The epic poem was likely written centuries after his death. According to this account, he was a rival of King Prithviraj Chauhan.
His daughter Samyukta eloped with Prithviraj against his wishes, and he allied with the foreign non-Hindu Ghurids to ensure Prithviraj’s downfall.
The name “Jaichand” became synonymous with the word “traitor” in folklore of northern India because of this legend.
Rahul writes to Lok Sabha Speaker
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has asserted that he has the right to respond in Parliament to the “totally baseless” and “unfair charges” hurled at him by senior ministers in the Lok Sabha over his democracy remarks.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Gandhi invoked Rule 357 which allows for “personal explanations” and also cited the example of BJP MP and then minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who invoked the Rule to give an explanation regarding comments made by Jyotiraditya Scindia in relation to him in Parliament

“I am making such a request again. I am seeking this permission under the conventions of Parliamentary practice, the constitutionally embedded rules of natural justice and Rule 357 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha,” he said in his letter to the Speaker.
The Congress leader said members of the ruling regime have made “scurrilous and defamatory claims against me” both within and outside Parliament.
“As a result of these allegations, and the rules invoked by these individuals, it is only appropriate that you kindly allow me a right to reply as contained in Rule 357 which allows for ‘personal explanations’,” he said.

Gandhi’s democracy remarks have triggered a massive political row, with the BJP accusing him of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign interventions and the Congress hitting back, citing instances of PM Modi raising internal politics abroad.
During his interactions in the United Kingdom recently, Gandhi had alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a “full-scale assault” on the country’s institutions.
TMC holds separate protest
TMC MPs held a separate protest in the Parliament complex and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the Adani issue.
Accusing the government of helping businessman Gautam Adani by not ordering a probe into allegations of fraud levelled against his group, the party demanded that Adani be arrested.
“Adani should be arrested. Modi is trying to protect Adani in the Rs 1 lakh crore scam. This is also the reason why they are not allowing any discussion in Parliament. The TMC leadership has already demanded that the 10 non-BJP states should begin their own probe into this and ensure that public money is not misused,” said TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien.
TMC Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay demanded an explanation from the prime minister on how public money was used by Adani. “PM Modi should explain this in the House. How LIC-SBI money ended up with Adani,” he said.
Next sitting on March 23
Lok Sabha Chair Rajendra Agarwal wished MPs for various festivals, including Chaitra Sukhladi, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Cheti Chand, Navre and Sajibu Cheiraoba.
He also said on the request of several members to enable them to participate in the festivities, the House will not have a sitting on Wednesday and instead it would meet on March 23.
(With inputs from agencies)
Watch Opposition parties protest inside Parliament amid Adani row, demand JPC probe





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Row over Rahul: Parliament’s first week post recess one of least productive | India News


NEW DELHI: Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day on Friday due to slogan-shouting by the opposition and protests by BJP members over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “democracy under threat” remarks in London recently.
The first week of the second leg of the budget session in Lok Sabha was one of the least productive as proceedings were stalled for five days in a row with BJP insisting on an apology from Rahul and the Opposition seeking a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue.

Didn’t say anything anti-India, will speak inside Parliament if they allow: Rahul Gandhi

Barring one occasion when the entire Rajya Sabha came together to hail Oscar awards for “Natu Natu” song from the film “RRR” and documentary “The Elephant Whisperers”, even the upper House remained in limbo through the week.

BJP leaders on Rahul Gandhi’s statement: Unfortunately we are at a loss for words

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla urged all the MPs to bring the House in order so that the day’s business could be taken up. “You all have been sent by your electorate to take part in proceedings and not for slogan-shouting. I can’t run the house until it is in order,” Birla said before adjourning the House 15 minutes later.
In Rajya Sabha, soon after the listing of papers, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said he had received 11 adjournment notices which were disallowed. Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge sought to speak but was not allowed, triggering an uproar by opposition members.
BJP chief spokesperson Anil Baluni said Congress and opposition parties were solely responsible for the current impasse in Parliament. “The statement made by Rahul Gandhi in London was an attack on Indian democracy. People of the country are agitated and so are the parliamentarians,” Baluni said and added, “The MPs not only from BJP but also a section in the opposition are petrified at the language Rahul Gandhi used on foreign soil against sovereignty and integrity of the country.”
He said there is anger across the country and Rahul Gandhi must tender an apology to the nation.
In Rajya Sabha, opposition MPs Neeraj Dangi, Akhilesh Prasad Singh, Kumar Ketkar, Syed Naseer Hussain, Amee Yajnik and Santosh Kumar P had given notices to discuss the government’s failure to constitute a JPC on charges of corporate fraud, stock market manipulation and financial mismanagement against the Adani Group.
Notices were also given by Ranjeet Ranjan, KC Venugopal, Sanjay Singh and Pramod Tiwari to discuss the government’s “questionable” role in promoting the business interests of the Adani Group. Dhankhar said Elamaram Kareem has raised a demand to discuss the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group, which has put government deposits in public-sector banks and LIC in danger.





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Adani Group: Adani stocks with higher price to earning ratios see steeper fall | India Business News


MUMBAI: Adani Group stocks have been falling relentlessly since the damning report by Hindenburg was published on January 24. Over Rs 12 lakh crore in terms of market capitalisation of the Adani scrips has been wiped out, but not all group stocks have fallen in sync. This is where the valuation of individual stocks comes into play. The deep plunge has been possible due to sky-high valuations.
The Adani Total Gas stock has crashed nearly 81% since January 24, while Adani Ports has dived 27% in the same period — the fall is in sync with how overvalued they were. Adani Total Gas stock was trading at a multiple of 844 times its earnings on January 24, a number that not even the best disruptive technology company can boast of, while Adani Ports was at 30 times, according to price-to-earnings (PE) ratios sourced from Refinitiv database. Stocks that had relatively lower valuations have fallen less. ACC, which had a PE ratio of 54, has fallen the least (26%) among the 10 Adani Group stocks, followed by Adani Ports (27%) and Ambuja Cements (31%).

A company’s PE ratio is one of the indicators of how undervalued or overpriced a scrip is in relation to its profit. Technology and consumer brands, apart from other high-growth companies, usually command steeper valuations than infrastructure or state-owned companies. For instance, TCS has a PE ratio of 31, but Tata Steel has 5. Indraprastha Gas has a PE ratio of 18, while Mahanagar Gas has 13 — both these are in the same business as Adani Total Gas.
A stock price indicates the market’s perception. But when there is a meteoric rise in a particular share, as was seen in the case of Adani scrips amid the pandemic, alarm bells start to ring. In May 2021, ET reported that CLSA had dropped coverage on Adani Transmission with the foreign brokerage saying that the stock is driven by speculative interest, keeping valuation at a stratospheric 16 times premium to the sector. That month, Adani Transmission had a PE ratio of 114, which had more than doubled to 351 by January 24 this year. Currently, it is at 73. The May 2021 ET report was quoted by Hindenburg Research in its study.
In November 2022, V K Vijayakumar, chief investment strategist at Geojit Financial Services, had alluded to ‘stratospheric’ valuations too. “A major disconnect between profits and market cap can be seen in the case of Adani stocks. Gautam Adani has proven expertise in executing large infrastructure projects, but the stratospheric valuations of Adani stocks are a matter of concern,” he had said in a report. When contacted, a representative of Geojit Financial Services said the firm doesn’t track Adani Group.
Interestingly, Adani companies may not be a steal deal even after the selloff. Adani Total Gas, which is stuck in a rut of hitting lower circuits since the report, is still available at 156 times its earnings. “Stock-specific actions will continue in Adani Group,” Kranthi Bathini, director (equity strategy) at WealthMills Securities, said.

Hindenburg’s predictions about Adani stocks come true? Group’s net worth dips below $44 billion





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Amid 2008 meltdown, how short-selling survived a ban


Many referred to the Adani-Hindenburg Research affair as a ‘Lehman moment’. The allegations by a self-confessed ‘short seller’, the US-based Hindenburg Research, of the Adani Group’s “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud” continue to rattle the share prices of the conglomerate’s companies. It has kept the investors, regulators, the government and the judiciary, engaged all this while.

The share prices of the Adani Group companies had jumped dramatically over the last two years, but few paid any attention. Mutual funds, strangely, ignored to even partake in this wealth creation opportunity. Top fund managers couldn’t fathom why and how share prices of these companies were rising, touching astronomical valuations. But then, there was the country’s biggest domestic institutional investor, the state-owned insurer LIC, which acquired shares in five Adani companies continuously over the last nine quarters till December 2022.

The jury is still out on whether the Adani-Hindenburg Research affair is a Lehman moment. In the classical sense, it is not. The broad-based markets in India didn’t witness any pressure when Adani stocks tanked. The collapse of Adani is not a systemic risk, it doesn’t bring down the Indian financial sector; even for LIC, the exposure to Adani is less than 1 per cent of its portfolio. Will there be more unravelling in this case? Nobody is sure.

Well, this is not about the Adani Group or Hindenburg Research. This is about ‘short selling’ and how it triggered a massive debate in India after the real Lehman moment on September 15, 2008, caused a global financial crisis that spilled over to the real economy. ‘Short selling’ is an accepted practice worldwide – investors or traders borrow shares and sell in the belief that prices will fall. If prices do fall, they buy it back at a lower price, and pocket the profit.

In its report, Hindenburg Research was transparent and said it held short positions in Adani Group companies through US-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivatives. There are believers of its position in the US and other markets, and those who don’t. Back home in India, after prices of Adani shares plunged, the political opposition raised a hue and cry given Adani’s perceived proximity to the ruling political leadership. The Reserve Bank of India stepped in to reassure that the banking system was safe and resilient. The capital markets regulator, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), too, said it is probing the Adani stock volatility.

But 15 years ago, when the real Lehman moment happened, many prominent persons in India Inc wanted Sebi to ban short selling, arguing it led to huge market manipulation. The ban, they claimed, would prevent a free fall in the stock markets. The Lehman collapse had indeed left stock markets anxious in India. In less than two months – between September 8, 2008, and November 6, 2008 – the Nifty 50 index had dropped over 35 per cent, from 4,482 points to 2,892 points.

Clearly, there were more bears than bulls. But some argued that manipulators were rife, and were systematically pushing the markets down. In fact, NDTV Profit ran shows in October that year that Sebi was not acting tough enough on short selling by FIIs. Why should it not ban lending and borrowing of shares overseas using an instrument called participatory notes, the news channel asked.

It was under such circumstances that a ban on short selling was discussed at the highest levels – the Prime Minister’s Office – in the government. Many private sector big guns wanted the government to curb market freedoms. And strangely enough, bureaucrats and the political executive fought for reforms, and stood the ground.

What triggered the demand was a sharp fall in ICICI Bank shares – from about Rs 1,231 in January 2008, it had plunged to Rs 364 on October 10, 2008. There was a rumour of ICICI Bank ATMs running out of cash in a southern city. It didn’t help that the bank, seen as the most aggressive lender then, was borrowing at high rates of 20 per cent to meet its short-term needs. K V Kamath, the CEO of ICICI Bank, blamed it on manipulation and rumour-mongering. He spoke to then Sebi chief CB Bhave and officials in the Union Finance Ministry.

The pressure of some channels, including NDTV, Kamath and other private sector honchos reached the doors of then Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram who summoned his key officers. “Why shouldn’t it be banned?” he is learnt to have asked them.

Sebi’s Bhave had already made strong technical arguments against banning, but it was Joint Secretary K P Krishnan’s plain and simple English that won the argument. “You have very high fever. There are two options. One, take a paracetamol and sleep it through. Two, break the thermometer, and do not acknowledge you have a fever.”

Chidambaram took them to then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence the same weekend. Here, the finance ministry officials argued against the ban and pointed out that it was ironic that those lobbying from the private sector for this seemingly regressive move were the same folks who chastised the government then for its baby steps on financial sector liberalisation. Manmohan Singh was amused — he had learnt a fresh lesson on India’s political economy.





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LIC share price: LIC nears all-time low on fears of loss in Adani Group portfolio | India Business News


MUMBAI: Shares of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) fell more than 1% in Friday’s relatively weak market over concerns about the insurer’s exposure to the Adani Group. At close, the LIC stock was at Rs 585, just a tad above its all-time low level of Rs 582. Shares of the Adani Group continued their relentless decline, dragging down the valuation of the corporation’s investment in the group.
Although Adani Group insiders insisted that LIC had booked some profit in January this year when the stock prices were near their 52-week highs, the insurance major is yet to come out with any statement about the profit or loss status in its Adani portfolio. According to the last disclosures made to the BSE (see graphic), LIC’s biggest investment was in Adani Ports & SEZ, in which it had a 9.1% stake. It also held between 1.25% and 6.5% stakes in six other Adani Group companies. In the last one month, LIC’s stock has lost nearly 17% of its value.

Friday’s session saw seven of the 10 Adani Group’s stocks closing in the red. Of these seven, four stocks — Adani Total Gas, Adani Green Energy, Adani Transmission and Adani Power — closed at their 5% lower circuit level. Group flagship Adani Enterprises also closed 5% lower, but circuit breakers do not apply to this stock since it’s among those on which derivatives trading is allowed. Among other laggards, Adani Wilmar closed 3.3% lower while NDTV was down 4.1%. Of the remaining stocks, Ambuja Cements closed 2.4% higher while Adani Ports & SEZ was up 1.2%, and ACC closed unchanged.

Earlier this month, replying to a parliament query, the government had disclosed that LIC’s purchase value of equity in Adani Group companies was Rs 30,127 crore. It was also mentioned that the market value of this portfolio at the close of market hours of January 27 was Rs 56,142 crore.
The stock prices of Adani Group companies have been on a southward journey for a month since US short-seller Hindenburg Research published a damning report against the Adani Group, accusing it of accounting fraud, stock price manipulation and corporate malfeasance. Still, the bleeding has not yet stopped for almost all of the Adani Group’s 10 listed stocks.

In its report, Hindenburg had said that if one went purely by the accepted valuation metrics and comparative valuations of its peers, seven of the group’s stocks (that have Adani in their name) should correct by at least 85%. “Compared to industry peers, we see 85%+ downside (for Adani Group stocks) purely on fundamentals,” the report had said.

After Friday’s 5% circuit-breaking close, Adani Total Gas has now lost nearly 81% of its value. And if one considers its fall from its 52-week high level, recorded in April 2022, the stock is down by 84%. Two more stocks also are nearing Hindenburg’s ‘85% downside’ mark — Adani Green Energy has lost nearly 75% in the last one month while Adani Transmission is down 74%.
The slide in the group’s stock prices has wiped out Rs 12 lakh crore, or nearly $146 billion, worth of its market value in the last one month. Compared to a combined market capitalisation of Rs 19.2 lakh crore on January 24, on Friday it was down to Rs 7.2 lakh crore.

IndusInd chairman quits Adani co board
Sunil Mehta, chairman of IndusInd Bank, has stepped down from the board of Adani Green Energy as the private lender has granted credit facilities to the company. The RBI had cleared the appointment of Mehta on January 31 and shareholders will soon vote to ratify the appointment.
RBI’s rules do not permit bank directors to be on the board of companies their bank lends to. Mehta, in a letter to Adani Green Energy, said that the credit facilities were granted before his appointment on the board of the bank. “In view of the applicable statutory/regulatory restrictions, the bank has requested me to relinquish my directorship in AGEL at the earliest as it will otherwise constrain the bank from renewing / rolling over credit facilities till the continuation of my directorship in AGEL,” said Mehta in his letter.
IndusInd Bank said that the board of directors in their meeting on Thursday decided to hold a postal ballot on a special resolution to appoint Mehta as chairman for three years up to January 30, 2026.
Mehta, who is the chairman and MD of SPM Capital Advisors, a boutique business advisory and consulting firm, was earlier the chairman of Yes Bank in the government-appointed board. An insurance industry veteran, Mehta was the non-executive chairman of Punjab National Bank from March 2017 to February 2020.

Hindenburg’s predictions about Adani stocks come true? Group’s net worth dips below $44 billion





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Congress’ Jairam Ramesh writes to RBI, SEBI chiefs seeking probe into allegations against Adani Group


Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh Wednesday said he had written to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das and Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch seeking a probe into the allegations levelled against the Adani Group by New York-based-Hindenburg Research.

In his letter, Ramesh urged the central bank to look into two aspects of the issue: “One, what is the true Adani exposure of the Indian banking system? Two, what are the explicit and implicit guarantees that the Adani Group has been given that it will be bailed out by Indian banks if foreign funding dries up?”

Ramesh wrote that the RBI “must ensure that risks to financial stability are investigated and contained”.

In his letter to the SEBI chief, meanwhile, Ramesh called for an investigation that is “fair and complete, with no favour”.

“Any failure to do so will cast a shadow on Indian corporate governance and on India’s financial regulators, and could affect our ability to raise funds globally,” the letter read.

Ramesh also questioned why Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and the State Bank of India (SBI) have heavily bought Adani Group equity.

“LIC, which 30 crore Indians trust with their life savings, has lost thousands of crores in Adani Group stock in recent days. Should we not ensure that such public sector financial institutions are more conservative in their investments than their private sector counterparts and free from pressure from above?” he wrote.

After the Hindenburg report alleged stock manipulation and fraud by the conglomerate, share prices of companies in the Adani Group have dropped significantly. The Adani Group has denied all allegations, and accusing Hindenburg of being “an unethical short seller”, and saying its report is a “lie”.

During the budget session of Parliament which ended earlier this week, Opposition lawmakers led by the Congress repeatedly disrupted proceedings in both Houses to demand a probe on the Adani Group crisis either by a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) or a Supreme Court-monitored probe.





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