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Adam Tooze: What the Adani Group’s Plunge Says About the Indian Economy

Fraud allegations caused $100 billion in losses for the conglomerate.

By , a deputy editor at Foreign Policy.
An artist puts paints a picture of Indian businessman Gautam Adani.
An artist puts paints a picture of Indian businessman Gautam Adani.
An artist puts final touches on a painting of Indian businessman Gautam Adani, highlighting the ongoing crisis of the Adani Group, in Mumbai on Feb 3. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP

A staggering sell-off of the stocks of Indian conglomerate Adani Group was sparked last week by a report released by Hindenburg Research that raised questions about the group’s debt levels and use of tax havens. The Adani Group’s stocks declined more than 50 percent in the aftermath of the report’s publication, and those declines have had a massive effect on the wealth of the company’s namesake, Gautam Adani, who had previously been the world’s third-richest person and Asia’s richest overall. The Adani Group has denied the allegations, saying they have “no basis.” But the controversy has focused attention on the group’s central role in the Indian economy and its founder’s close relationship with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Cameron Abadi is a deputy editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @CameronAbadi

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