Adani abruptly abandons $3.5 billion share sale as crisis mounts
Adani Group has denied the allegations, saying the short-seller’s allegation of stock manipulation has “no basis” and stems from an ignorance of Indian law. The group has always made the necessary regulatory disclosures, it added.
Adani Group was working with its bankers to refund the proceeds received by in the secondary share sale of Adani Enterprises. Anchor investors who had supported the issue included Maybank Securities and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.
The company aims to protect the interests of its investing community by returning the proceeds, it said.
Adani Group had on Tuesday mustered enough support from investors for the share sale to proceed, in what some saw as a stamp of investor confidence amid the storm.
But after a brief respite, the selloff in Adani Group stocks and bonds resumed on Wednesday, with shares in Adani Enterprises plunging 28 per cent and Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone dropping 19 per cent, the worst day on record for both.
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The fundraising was critical for Adani, not just because it would have helped cut his group’s debt, but also because it was being seen by some as a gauge of confidence as he faced the biggest business and reputational challenge of his career.
Wednesday’s stock losses saw Adani slip to 15th on the Forbes rich list with an estimated net worth of $US75.1 billion, below rival Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries who ranks ninth with a net worth of $US83.7 billion.
The share sale had succeeded on Tuesday even when the Adani Enterprises stock price in Mumbai markets traded below the offer price of the share sale.
“I do not know how the markets will behave in short term. But this is a measure to enhance (Adani’s) reputation since the investors were staring at a 30 per cent loss even before the shares were allotted,” said Rajesh Baheti, chief executive, Crossseas Capital Services, an algo trading firm.
Reuters
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