This post is part of our feature on Money Losers of 2008. See all 20.

Being number four on the Forbes list of wealthiest persons in the world can't be too bad. That's where British-Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal found himself earlier this year, up one place from the year before. His estimated $45 billion placed him just behind Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Carlos Slim. But that was before he lost $30.5 billion this year.

Now a resident of London, Mittal was the founder of steelmaker Mittal. Upon its merger with French steelmaker to become ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), the world's largest steel producer, he became the new conglomerate's chairman and CEO. ArcelorMittal's stock price was up around $104 per share this past June. But after increased production cuts due to the sudden fall in demand for steel in the past six months, the price has since dropped to around $25 a share now. Mittal, who owns 43 percent of the company, has seen a commensurate drop in value.

Mittal had been pursuing the acquisition of a controlling stake in Dillinger Hütte, a German steelmaker, which would have helped shore up ArcelorMittal during these difficult global economic conditions. He had wanted to engineer a full takeover of Dillinger as a way to boost the overall technological capabilities of ArcelorMittal, but it didn't quite work out. As a sort of consolation prize, the company will receive about $1 billion for a portion of its stake in the German company.

Continue reading Money losers of 2008: Falling demand for steel melt's Lakshmi Mittal's fortune

Money losers of 2008: Falling demand for steel melt's Lakshmi Mittal's fortune originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Dec 2008 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

As we begin the trek to grandmother's house, it's worth reflecting on what we have to be thankful for. The answer? When it comes to money, most of us have a lot less than we did a year ago. But for those of you who have your health and your families to comfort you, it will cost much less to buy the gasoline to visit than it would have in July. And as you're driving to visit those families -- consider how much less you lost in the last year than the world's 10 biggest losers.

According to the web site, The Business Sheet, those unfortunate people suffered a mind-boggling $176 billion in lost stock market value in the last 12 months. It turns out that 52% of the losses were suffered by three executives based in India. Here they are:

• Anil Ambani - $32.5 billion. Ambani heads Reliance Communications that invested $500 million in Dreamworks earlier this year.
• Lakshmi Mittal - $30.5 billion. Mittal heads ArcelorMittal which has suffered from a decline in the price of steel.
• Mukesh Ambani -$28.2 billion is Anil's brother and controls Reliance Industries, a petrochemical manufacturer.

• Sheldon Adelson -$30 billion. I did consulting work for Adelson about 22 years ago and he is quite a character. His Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) casino is suffering from the economic slowdown and he's had some trouble with debt.
• Warren Buffett -$13.6 billion. As I posted, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) has had some problems this year.

Continue reading The world's 10 biggest losers

The world's 10 biggest losers originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Mukesh Ambani is the chairman, managing director, and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector enterprise. With its wide-ranging operations, Reliance Industries has been called India's General Electric (NYSE: GE), and Ambani's personal stake in Reliance Industries is around 48 percent.

Ambani's net worth of US $20.1 billion early in the year made him the world's 14th richest person and the second richest person in India after steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. However, by October, Ambani's net worth had more than doubled, making him the richest Indian, and number four in the world, just behind Warren Buffett. In fact, a strong, temporary share price rally for Reliance at the end of October brought Ambani's net worth to $63.2 billion, making him briefly the richest man in the world.

But that isn't the only highlight for Ambani in 2007. Construction also began on his home, which is expected to cost US $1 billion, and be one of the tallest structures in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), the equivalent of a 60-story building. The glass tower will include a plush movie theater, a health club with a pool, gardens and terraces, and parking for 168 automobiles, as well as an in-house garage to service them. Living space for the family near the top will have a view of the Arabian Sea, and the roof will have three helipads. It will take a domestic staff of 600 to run the place, which was designed by an architecture firm from Chicago to be reminiscent of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Yes, it's been a very good year for Mukesh Ambani, and also for his wife, to whom he gave an Airbus 319 as a birthday gift.

Be sure to check out more Money Winners of 2007.

Continue reading Money Winners of 2007: Mukesh Ambani -- home sweet home

Money Winners of 2007: Mukesh Ambani -- home sweet home originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.