Sridhar V Profile picture
Mar 2 18 tweets 7 min read
1 THREAD on the SC’s order today constituting an expert committee to enquire into the #Hindenburg allegations. The supreme irony is that #SEBI gets away scot-free. Crucially, invoking the holy grail of “investor protection” is how #SEBI escapes court criticism/scrutiny
2 It is important to reiterate that crux of the Hindenburg allegations rest on the claim that the ownership of the #Adani Group Cos is concentrated above SEBI-set levels through entities not at arms length from the promoters. The rest of the allegations stem from this central one
3 The overvaluation of group company stocks and therefore of the companies is made possible because of the low “free float” - implying scope for manipulation - which then enables the #Adani Group to leverage even greater volumes of debt
4 The issue of volatility, which the court seems to be deeply concerned about, is actually a non-issue becos #SEBI as custodian is supposed to in a state of nirvana, unaffected by the worldly issues of stock prices movements - in effect a supreme believer that the mkt knows best
5 It is not #SEBIs remit to check volatility — UNLESS they arise from manifest violations of trading regulations (insider trading, etc). It is supposed to be agnostic to movements (up or down) of share prices, even violent ones.
6 The “investor protection” issue is the big big red herring, which the SC seems to latched on to with an innocence that is touching, but grossly misplaced.
7 First, it allows #SEBI to get away with utter failure to enquire long-pending allegations against #Adani of violations of SE listing rules.Recall @MahuaMoitra question from almost 18 months ago in Parliament revealing #SEBI was “enquiring” then. Still at it, Mr #SEBI?
8 The “investor protection” angst that the SC has shown has no place in a market-driven system. SEBI actually said as much in its affidavit. The Court’s concern when prices drop - not even of the wider market but only of a group - is curious.
9 The question to ask is why the SC expressed no concern when stock prices (that too in the wider market) has been on an upsurge that fundamentals do not warrant. This one-sided “concern” creates a deep incongruity in the market.
10 Second, by now #SEBI’s prolonged investigation into the allegations of holdings in #Adani Cos ought to have led it to rope in the services of the enforcement agencies that are meant to track economic offences - IT Dept, Customs, ED, RBI.
11 As a regulator of the capital markets in india it is #SEBI that ought to have triggered a wider investigation marshalling all the agencies. That is becos the cause of action would have emanated from the core allegations in the #Hindeburg report.
12 Instead, today’s SC observation that “SEBI is seized of the investigation” is laughable when the world knows that SEBI’s regulatory forbearance of the Adani Group has been excessive, suggestive of lethargy at best, or capture at worst.
13 The SC has asked SEBI to “investigate” whether #Adanis have failed to report “related part(ies)” transactions. But wasn’t this what SEBI has already been “investigating” for >18 months? And then the SC proceeds to provide the escape route for SEBI.
14 The SC does this by asking SEBI to “investigate” whether there have been “manipulations” of stock prices. This is a non-issue as elementary knowledge of trading in low-float stocks would testify.
15 When there is poor float, the amplitude of fluctuations - both ways - would be exaggerated simply because there are few stocks on offer. That is just simple logic, as the #Adanis themselves have learnt painfully in the last month and more.
16 IMO the SC has overloaded the agenda of the committee to the point that the core issues that need urgent scrutiny would be swamped by trivialities and “concerns” (about market movements) that have no valid legal scope of redressal.
17 The impression that one gets from today’s order is that the SC has treated #SEBI with kid gloves, especially after SEBI has failed disastrously to protect the credibility and integrity of Indian capital markets. That is what is really at stake. (END)
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More from @sritara

Feb 28
1 THREAD on national income estimates announced today for Q3 of 2022-23. The abiding message is that the statistical illusion created by the collapse of economy since pandemic is still very much in play. Beware of smoke and mirrors!
2 GDP in 2022-23 is expected to grow by 7% in real terms, GVA by 6.6%. This is a slowdown of 2.1 %age points and 2.2 %age points, respectively.
3 The share of capital formation (GFCF), the prime motor of growth in a capitalist economy, is estimated to increase to 34% of GDP, compared to 31.1% two years earlier. But hold the applause!
Read 23 tweets
Feb 25
1 THREAD on LIC and its investments in the Adani Group - why #LIC has been imprudent, reckless and irresponsible in squandering money belonging to its policyholders. Why even now, it may not be too late for it to cut its losses and run from the fire. indianexpress.com/article/busine…
2 LIC has stakes in 5 Adani Group companies of which its earliest substantive acquisition was in Adani Ports in Sept 2000. LIC management has defended itself by saying that the acquisitions in Group cos were made “over a period”. <3 years does not suggest long term!
3 Significantly Adani Port, which has been a major source of revenue, is the only co to have somewhat avoided the free fall in the month after the #Hindenburg revelations. LIC’s stake, thankfully for now, were more in this venture. LIC will do well not to bet on this for long
Read 20 tweets
Feb 9
1THREAD on the investigation conducted by @MSCI_Inc on the “true” extent of “free float” of #Adani Group companies confirms prima facie the core allegation of the #Hindenburg report that the “public” shareholding is in violation of SEBI’s regulations.SEBI napping for >18 months?
2 MSCI reveals that several constituents of the Adani Group can no longer be eligible for its indices is damning indication that SEBI has been in gross dereliction of its key duties as a regulator.
economictimes.indiatimes.com/markets/stocks…
3. MSCI, which had undertaken a review of its indices in which Adani Group company shares were constituents, immediately after the Hindenburg revelations. Contrast this to the Indian market regulator who has been sleeping at the wheel for 18 months.
Read 8 tweets
Jan 31
1.A THREAD on the Adani Enterprises FPO that closed today. The FPO sails through but this is unlikely to settle the share's volatility in the days ahead. Most significant facet of FPO was that non-institutional investors (NII) bid for 3.19 of the 5.08 crore shares bid for - 63%
2. But even more strikingly, even within the category of NII, those with bids of ABOVE Rs.10 lakhs accounted for 99.75 % of this category.
3. Thus, the biggest of the big ticket biggies, for whom 64 lakh shares were reserved, actually bid for 3.185 CRORE shares. Oversubscription in this subcategory was thus almost 5 times. The overall subscription of NIIs was 3.32 times.
Read 18 tweets
Jan 30
1. As more questions continue to mount about the fate of the #Adani FPO, here is a THREAD on the LIC’s participation in it.
2. By its own admission the LIC management today made an unprecedented announcement “clarifying” its investment role in the controversial and sagging FPO.
3. Even more unprecedented is its blatant defence of a private company, even if one of India’s largest. This defence, mounted on the pretext that its inv in the Group are safe, in the immediate context of the collapse of Adani stocks, appears to justify its continued role.
Read 14 tweets
Jun 2, 2022
THREAD
On latest GDP estimates
1.The statistical illusion cast by the use of percentages in the midst of volatility is a common malaise in the media. I explore this in this thread and ask how credible is the claim (yet again) that a recovery is just round the corner.
2.First the facts: GDP increased 8.7% in 2021-22; Q4 GDP rose 4.1%, compared to 2.5% in Q$ of 2020-21. Hints at a clear sign of a recovery? No, not so fast.
3.I ask: What constitutes an economic recovery? The reliance on %ages confuses RATES of growth with LEVELS OF OUTPUT. A recovery means pre-pandemic output levels have been surpassed significantly.
Read 19 tweets

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