Ch. 1541..1550
Life at the Top Chapter 1541
Pacing Tony’ s seemingly gentle words that were simultaneously laced with threats, Parker‘s whole body became as tight as a bowstring.
The Alvarados had pursued the principle of low-key operation for generations. This was also the biggest reason why the Alvarados could continue their lineage to this day. Although in his generation, the family had to send some children into the working class in order to push for change, they would still abide by the rules regardless of when it came to Swallow Capital or the Alvarados themselves.
The long-term peace had made Parker gradually ignore the sensitive nature of his identity. He became bolder and more casual in his mannerism. He did call his brother last night, but it was only to remind him not to fall out with Jasper.
He was in the system, so Parker was very aware of how much the higher-ups valued Jasper and the importance they placed on what Jasper was doing now. It could be said that anyone who fell out with Jasper or even obstructed him at this point would undoubtedly become an obstacle to Swallow Capital themselves.
In the country, what would happen to people or families that Swallow Capital considered to be obstacles?
Very simple. They would disappear.
“Thanks for reminding me, sir. I will pay more attention to this,” Parker said.
Tony nodded. Then, he waved his hand and said, “Get back to work.”
The moment Parker turned back to his computer, someone in the conference room suddenly shouted, “JW Foundation has launched a full scale attack against Layman Investment Bank!”
As soon as he heard this, Parker was stunned. Then, he sped up and rushed to his computer.
At the same time, Tony stared at the computer screen. At this moment, the stock of Layman Investment Bank in the Dow Jones Index market was experiencing unprecedented volatility.
The first signs of a downward trend could be seen. It was like a thunderbolt that severely smashed the stock price of Layman Investment Bank right from the top. This line that went straight down almost ran through the entire computer screen.
The transaction data window on the right was completely occupied by densely packed sky high selling orders.
“Oh my god, you must be joking!”
Countless investors around the world groaned from the bottom of their hearts almost at the same time. If they did not know that such a thing was impossible, they would have thought that this was fake data deliberately set by the simulation software. However, all of this was real, and it was happening right now!
In the trading center in Nauritus City, the entire trading center was engaged in fiery action.
“Suppress all the buy-in orders. Take down as many as you can. Do not relax!”
Jake had already taken off his suit jacket. At this moment, he rolled up his sleeves and opened several buttons on his shirt. The entire trading center was set to a constant temperature of 24 degrees Celsius via the central air conditioning, but Jake felt as if he was burning.
Jake turned his head and yelled at the intelligence collection team, “Strictly monitor all dynamic data and keep an eye on Quantum Fund. If there is any disturbance, immediately report it as fast as possible!”
At the center of the trading hall, Jasper was staring at the complete list of transaction data.
There was an uncountable amount of data filling and rearranging in his mind. Finally, they guided him to the most important line.
“Within 3 minutes, we successfully knocked down the 60 billion US Dollar market value of Layman Investment Bank. The most important thing is that Layman Investment Bank is one of the core stocks of the Dow Jones Index. Its decline triggered a series of panic and escapes. After that strike, the Dow Jones Index went down 60 points.”
Baz stood beside Jasper, reporting excitedly.
Life at the Top Chapter 1542
“Suppress them again and continue to knock down Layman’s 40 billion US Dollar market value in the next 2 minutes. Then trap it at the limit,” Jasper said solemnly.
“Yes!”
Baz responded and immediately gave out Jasper’s order as quickly as possible.
At the same time, the centers in Waterhoof City and Harbor City simultaneously executed Jasper’s orders. Under the operation of the three teams from different trading centers, a large number of funds reached the securities center server in the United States in the shortest time through the optical cable signal. After this, the data was processed.
Tens of billions of dollars collided passionately at this moment.
JW Foundation’s all out attack without warning caused an uproar throughout the entire United States stock market. Under this convergence of circumstances, the trading center of Quantum Fund became very chaotic.
Rogers pulled off his necktie and looked at the constantly refreshing data stream on the computer coldly.
Each refresh of the data represented an additional short order hitting the Layman Investment Bank’s stock market. Meanwhile, Layman Investment Bank’s stock price was like a fragile line, with each short order shortening it by one point.
“Sir, Layman Investment Bank’s stock price is approaching the limit down!”
Rogers’ mouth twitched when he was faced with the report from the team,
“Should we intervene?” The man asked.
“Wait.”
Taking a deep breath, Rogers stopped his subordinate.
“JW Foundation has invested at least 70 billion US Dollars in Layman investment Bank. In addition, it is now the climax of the market’s panic withdrawal. If we go into the market and go long, it won’t be enough no matter how much money we have. We’ll just be adding fuel to the fire and making it burn brighter.”
After Rogers finished speaking, Soros called him into the office.
“Layman Investment Bank’s emergency board meeting for the shareholders.”
What Soros said made Rogers extremely pissed.
However, time waited for no one. Before he could complain, the video conference was connected.
The chairman of Layman Investment Ban, Dugg, sat in the most central position. The video was split into several smaller screens. The people on these screens were all members of the board of directors of Layman Investment Bank who traveled around the world on business trips.
Each one of them was a billionaire who was able to shake the earth with a stomp. They were true capitalists.
“Mr. Rogers, you have seen the situation now. I’m just going to ask you one question. Can you keep Layman’s stock price from plummeting?”
Time was running out, and Dugg did not even exchange conventional greetings with Rogers. He just asked this straightforwardly.
Rogers frowned slightly and said, “From my professional perspective, no.”
A vice chairman of Layman Investment Bank said angrily. “The entire Wall Street capital group has injected hundreds of billions of dollars into you guys, of which we accounted for 3 5%. You took the tens of billions of dollars we gave you, yet you’re telling me that you can’t even stop our stock price from hitting the limit down?”
Rogers suppressed his inner anger and disdain. He said, “I must explain this to you clearly. If I enter the market now, I can indeed save Layman’s stock price, but the price will be very high.”
“JW Foundation’s short order pressure is only one aspect, but please remember that the biggest force in the capital market is never short or long bookmakers, but hot money!”
“Now, hundreds of billions in hot money is fleeing in a panic. If we try to stop it right now, won’t we be throwing money into the fire pit?”
“Suppress them again and continue to knock down Layman’s 40 billion US Dollar market value in the next 2 minutes. Then trap it at the limit,” Jasper said solemnly.
“Yes!”
Baz responded and immediately gave out Jasper’s order as quickly as possible.
At the same time, the centers in Waterhoof City and Harbor City simultaneously executed Jasper’s orders. Under the operation of the three teams from different trading centers, a large number of funds reached the securities center server in the United States in the shortest time through the optical cable signal. After this, the data was processed.
Tens of billions of dollars collided passionately at this moment.
JW Foundation’s all out attack without warning caused an uproar throughout the entire United States stock market. Under this convergence of circumstances, the trading center of Quantum Fund became very chaotic.
Rogers pulled off his necktie and looked at the constantly refreshing data stream on the computer coldly.
Each refresh of the data represented an additional short order hitting the Layman Investment Bank’s stock market. Meanwhile, Layman Investment Bank’s stock price was like a fragile line, with each short order shortening it by one point.
“Sir, Layman Investment Bank’s stock price is approaching the limit down!”
Rogers’ mouth twitched when he was faced with the report from the team,
“Should we intervene?” The man asked.
“Wait.”
Taking a deep breath, Rogers stopped his subordinate.
“JW Foundation has invested at least 70 billion US Dollars in Layman investment Bank. In addition, it is now the climax of the market’s panic withdrawal. If we go into the market and go long, it won’t be enough no matter how much money we have. We’ll just be adding fuel to the fire and making it burn brighter.”
After Rogers finished speaking, Soros called him into the office.
“Layman Investment Bank’s emergency board meeting for the shareholders.”
What Soros said made Rogers extremely pissed.
However, time waited for no one. Before he could complain, the video conference was connected.
The chairman of Layman Investment Ban, Dugg, sat in the most central position. The video was split into several smaller screens. The people on these screens were all members of the board of directors of Layman Investment Bank who traveled around the world on business trips.
Each one of them was a billionaire who was able to shake the earth with a stomp. They were true capitalists.
“Mr. Rogers, you have seen the situation now. I’m just going to ask you one question. Can you keep Layman’s stock price from plummeting?”
Time was running out, and Dugg did not even exchange conventional greetings with Rogers. He just asked this straightforwardly.
Rogers frowned slightly and said, “From my professional perspective, no.”
A vice chairman of Layman Investment Bank said angrily. “The entire Wall Street capital group has injected hundreds of billions of dollars into you guys, of which we accounted for 3 5%. You took the tens of billions of dollars we gave you, yet you’re telling me that you can’t even stop our stock price from hitting the limit down?”
Rogers suppressed his inner anger and disdain. He said, “I must explain this to you clearly. If I enter the market now, I can indeed save Layman’s stock price, but the price will be very high.”
“JW Foundation’s short order pressure is only one aspect, but please remember that the biggest force in the capital market is never short or long bookmakers, but hot money!”
“Now, hundreds of billions in hot money is fleeing in a panic. If we try to stop it right now, won’t we be throwing money into the fire pit?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1543
Rogers suppressed his anger, but his tone remained happy, which made the atmosphere of the entire video conference feel very heavy and awkward.
All the directors were expressionless, and no one broke the silence. It was not that they were persuaded by Rogers, but thatthey were not listening to Rogers at all.
As expected, Dugg, who was the chairman, looked at Rogers in the video and spoke slowly.
“Mr. Rogers, from your professional perspective, there are indeed many reasons not to take action.
“But from the perspective of our board of directors in Layman Investment Bank, there are more reasons for you to act.
“All you see is the victory and cost of this game, but what we see is the overall development of Layman Investment Bank as a whole.”
After he said that, Dugg pressed his hands on the tabletop, slowly got up, looked down at Rogers with a very aggressive expression, and said in a deep voice, “This is not the board of directors of Layman Investment Bank seeking your opinion. Rather, this is the board of directors from Layman Investment Bank giving you an order as a shareholder of Quantum Fund, understand?”
Rogers’ face changed color as soon as Dugg said this.
Even Soros narrowed his eyes.
The burly, bright eyed Soros looked at Dugg and said in a deep voice, “Mr. Dugg, when Quantum Fund received investment from Layman Investment Bank, you did not say that you would interfere with Quantum Fund’s operational decisions.”
Dugg seemed to have expected Soros to say this from early on, and he replied with a calm expression, “Similarly, I did not say that I would not interfere. Still, I don‘t think this counts as interfering with your operational decisions.”
“What Quantum Fund is doing now is working for us after taking our money. This is both an act of cooperation and also a form of hiring, but in essence, most of the funds you have at hand belong to the Wall Street Capital Consortium, with Layman’s investment representing a significant stake.”
“The stock price of Layman Investment Bank must not hit the limit down. This is my bottom line.”
Dugg seemed to have lost his patience. He slammed his hand down on the conference table and said with a cold expression. “Ten Quantum Funds will not be as large as one Layman. Now Layman’s stock price has shrunk further and what we’ve lost is beyond your imagination. You only need to follow the orders of the board of directors!”
Rogers became increasingly pissed as he listened to the rant. As he was about to speak, Soros grabbed his shoulders.
“I understand, Mr. Dugg. Quantum Fund will launch a snipe against JW Foundation as soon as possible, and then we’ll increase Layman’s stock price.”
After hearing this, a satisfied smile spread on Dugg’s face. He said, “Very good. There is not much time, so this meeting will end immediately. I hope to see you executing the order soon.”
After he said that, the video was ended and the screen turned black.
Smash!
A coffee cup was smashed on the screen. The cup and the expensive screen were written off immediately.
“Those odious vampires! They only want to maintain their own stock price. They don’t even care whether we live or die!”
Rogers’ face flushed with anger as he roared, “Now, the funds of the Wall Street Consortium are in our hands and we have not yet settled Jasper. If we lose too much when we’re fighting Jasper, then we won’t be able to explain ourselves to the Federal Reserve and the other consortia on Wall Street!”
“When that happens, we should be thankful if Dugg doesn’t beat us while we’re down. Now he is forcing us to spend so much to save Layman. He also understands that we need to use public funds to save his *ss! He doesn’t care about our life and death!”
“Soros, you should have rejected him just now!”
As he looked at the furious Rogers, Soros said lightly, “Do you think l didn’t try my best?”
These words made Rogers suddenly quiet down. He knew that he was a little gaffe.
Soros patted Rogers on the shoulder and said, “You look down on Jasper, but in your heart, you are very wary and jealous of this young man from the East. You long to defeat him. Even if you don’t admit it, as your old friend stemming from decades ago, I know it very well.”
The corners of Rogers’ mouth twitched, and his face looked gloomy.
“Okay, go and execute their orders.”
Soros shook his head and said, “When will the vampires of Wall Street do something that will hurt themselves and benefit others? We are one of this group of vampires, perhaps even the most bloodthirsty among them, but this time we ourselves are the victims.”
“We can’t just watch as Jasper takes action against Layman, otherwise it will be a huge blow to the confidence of the entire US stock market. It is easy for funds to escape, but it is difficult to bring them back.”
“We will have to take action even if the cost is large. For everything else, I will find a way to communicate with Mr. Greenspaner.”
Rogers exhaled and walked out of the meeting room with a gloomy expression without saying a word. When he came to the trading hall, Rogers clapped his hands.
The core of the team immediately put down their work on hand and stood up to face Rogers. Many years of professional and efficient training made them understand that this meant there would be an important order from their boss.
“I don’t care what method you use, how much capital you exhaust, or what you do. From this moment on, you will all focus on one thing and that is restore Layman’s stock price to today‘s opening point!”
Rogers took a look at the Dow Jones Index. At this moment, Layman’s stock price had fallen from 110 US Dollars per share to 100 US Dollars, which was only a short distance from the limit.
A price difference of 10 US Dollars, but if this was instead viewed from the perspective of Layman‘s market value of 112 billion US Dollars, they would be facing a total market value gap of 11 billion US Dollars.
No wonder those shareholders were anxious.
After Rogers gave his order, the efficient team did not waste any time. They immediately began to execute it.
Quantum Fund had massive amounts of funds at this moment. Hence, once they started to fully implement their strategy, their every move brought carried a huge power that could turn the market upside down.
“A buy order was issued! It is Quantum Fund! Quantum Fund counterattacked!”
“The unit price is 100.5 US Dollars, a total of 60 buy in orders, each order is for 100 million US dollars!”
“Six billion in funds have entered the market!”
In the hall of Nauritus City trading center, the atmosphere was suddenly tense.
Jasper looked at the screen as a huge number of buying information surged forward like a torrent. Even in the financial battlefield where there was no physical battle, both sides were using the US dollar to compete for an advantage.
Everyone was inexplicably enthusiastic.
“They finally couldn’t stand it, huh?”
Jasper chuckled and took a sip from the teacup. The tea felt hot in his throat and his mouth was filled with the fragrant aroma of the blend.
“Sell. We will sell as much as they buy. 60 billion, right? Authorize 100 billion and fight back!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1544
“Layman’s stock price is 102 US Dollars, an increase by 1.5 US Dollars from the market five minutes ago!”
“Quantum Fund has started to frantically go long, and almost all the empty orders on the market have been swept away!”
“Our pressure has been greatly reduced, which is a good sign!”
There were countless noisy but excited voices. Dugg sat in the middle of the meeting room, leading all the executives of Layman Investment Bank in New York headquarters to closely monitor the stock price.
“Very good.”
Dugg lit a cigar, feeling pleased.
“It seems that Rogers fellow is not too stupid.”
Next to Dugg, another old white man leaned over to light Dugg’s cigar. He continued, “At least Soros is not a n idiot. That alone is enough.”
“However, it can also be seen from this incident that Rogers is already very dissatisfied with our stranglehold over Quantum Fund.”
Dugg exhaled a thick puff of smoke and sneered.
The old white man next to him shrugged and said, “So what? Who is Rogers on Wall Street?”
“If I just want to feel stimulated and numb, I have many choices. The legal ones are cigarettes, cigars, and betel nuts, but do you know why I like cigars?” Dugg turned to look at the old white man and asked.
“Because cigars are more expensive?” The old white man made a joke that he thought was funny.
Shaking his head, Dugg said, “Because I’m the one who’s paying, so I have the final say. If I want cigars, I’ll get cigars. If I want cigarettes, I’ll get cigarettes. These are my choices to make, and mine alone, they can’t tell me what I should choose.”
“The principle of the supremacy of money can be seen everywhere. As long as one’s monthly income is not less than 1000 US Dollars, they can have such decision making power. Moreover, I own Layman Investment Bank, so if I like Rogers, then Rogers is the boss, but if I like Soros, Soros will keep Rogers in his place.”
“This is also the rule of Wall Street.”
Dugg’s eyes were cold and dark. His tone was also icy. “Back then, I just thought Soros was smarter and more likable than Rogers, but now, I find Rogers annoying. Do you understand the difference between the two?”
The old white man had a look of reverence on his face as he nodded and said, “I understand that if there is something more likable, then we will choose to like it, but if the originally disliked thing becomes annoying, it‘s time to also get rid of it.”
“Good.” Dugg laughed with satisfaction. “When this matter is over, I hope Rogers will leave Quantum Fund.”
“Soros may have something to say about that.” The old white man frowned.
“Although we control Quantum Fund, it has other shareholders and Soros himself has great prestige. He is also the founder of Quantum Fund. Considering our interests in Quantum Fund, we can’t have a complete fallout with Soros.”
“Everson, you don’t know me, let alone Soros.”
Dugg glanced at the old white man named Everson with a meaningful look, patted the latter on the shoulder, and said, “After the Terra financial crisis a few years ago, have you seen Soros showing his face? It’s always been Rogers.”
“He was hoping that someone could stand up and attract the hatred of some countries from Terra whose wealth had been swept away by him. On the other hand, he also needs Rogers, who is more high-profile than him, to remove the good-for-nothings of Quantum Fund who are no longer loyal to him as the founder.”
“But they have been old friends for decades,” Everson said, shocked.
“Old friends?” Dugg laughed.
“A person like Soros? Do you think he needs an old friend to share everything with aside from power and money?”
Everson thought for a long time. Then, he slowly nodded and said, “I understand.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1545
At this moment, the report came again, this time more intense than before.
“There is an empty order!”
“There are more than 100 million US Dollars… 10… No, 20… No, no, more! It’s so densely packed. They are all 100 million US Dollars capped empty orders, Oh my god! What is happening? Is there something wrong with the security server?”
“It’s JW Foundation! Hurry, record, and analyze the data! JW Foundation is continuing to short the Layman stock!”
“All buy orders were smashed by JW Foundation’s sell orders!”
“JW Foundation is hammering the market!”
Frightened screams blasted across the entire conference room. Meanwhile, Dugg, who was talking to Everson with a cigar and a smile on his face in one second, suddenly got up the next. His blue eyes set in deep sunken eye sockets stared at the screen.
At this moment, the massive amount of data on the screen was like a tsunami as huge as a mountain. The big negative line that represented Layman’s stock price had just recovered slightly because of the intervention of the Quantum Fund. At this moment, it seemed as if there was an invisible knife slashing the index that had just been lifted slightly. It was now dragging it into the abyss!
“That bastard! That damn cunning monkey! Are we really going to start a big battle?”
Dugg’s angry roar echoed throughout the conference room.
As far as most people understood, the two armies would not be overly boisterous when fighting, instead, they would carefully test the water to understand each other’s bottom line and strength. Finally, they would target a specific date to start a decisive battle. This was how a normal person understood the war.
This time, the Dow Jones Index, which had swept across the global financial world, was the battleground of the Wall Street Consortium and JW Foundation, whom represented Somerland capital. This decisive battle between the two had come way faster than expected.
With a volume of 100 billion US Dollars, the capital raised by both parties was at least 300 billion US Dollars.
This was just the direct impact. The number of funds that were indirectly impacted was simply incalculable. Government and private financial institutions around the world, regardless of their position or actual ability were almost all gearing up to stare at the changes in the Dow Jones Index.
They looked forward to this battle but feared it at the same time. They feared that it was likely to ruin the jobs of countless people and make countless billionaires instantly bankrupt. It was also likely to change the global financial situation.
On the other hand, they were also looking forward to this huge change. In change lied opportunity. The bigger the change, the more opportunities it presented.
Everyone wanted to benefit from it!
For economists, this unprecedented financial war was likely to expose many flaws in the modern financial and economic system that could not be found during ordinary periods.
Some extreme conditions that could previously only be theorized were also likely to be truly revealed in this great war.
Additionally, when these countless deductions and hypotheses played out in reality, it would truly show people what they saying ‘plans cannot keep up with change’ meant.
This decisive battle began on the second day. This was something that even the most daring person would not have guessed before it actually happened.
Life at the Top Chapter 1546
Jerriman lived in San Francisco, a city on the west coast of the United States. He was a dentist. He had a decent job and a good income in this local area. His wife was a judge, and he had a son and daughter. No matter how you looked at it, his was an enviable family.
Besides work, Jerriman‘s favorite investment method was stock trading. In his opinion, handing the US Dollars to a group of fund managers who only knew how to suck blood and collect commissions was no better than doing it himself. Besides, he was also a staunch chauvinist who believed in great power.
He firmly believed that the United States was the strongest country in the world and that no other person or country could challenge the hegemony of the United States. Therefore, the recent turmoil in the United States capital market that had caused global investors to be in turmoil was not enough to scare him. He even thought that the group of Somerland investors had to be crazy.
Otherwise, how would they dare to face the United States head-on?
Under this premise, he bought 800 thousand US Dollars worth of stock at the highest price of 130 US Dollars per share on the first day of the battle.
After the market opened today, not only did the decline in Layman Investment Bank’s stock price not scare him, he also firmly believed that this was a huge opportunity to make money.
The United States government would inevitably intervene, and Wall Street Capital would eventually repel Somerland’s capital!
With this belief in mind, Jerriman used his financial leverage and offered all his assets as collateral in exchange for a full 6.4 million US Dollars. After this, he bought all of Layman Investment Bank’s stocks. The so-called leverage meant that while large gains were shown in multiples, losses were also magnified.
800 thousand US Dollars in principal, with a 5-fold leverage, would amount to 4 million US Dollars. Meanwhile, under the original 10% rise and fall limit, the maximum daily loss and profit limit for this 800 thousand US Dollars was 80 thousand US Dollars. With this 5 times leverage, an investment of 4 million would spell a loss of 400 thousand US Dollars if the daily loss was 10%.
Jerriman used 8 times leverage, which was the highest legal multiple he could obtain due to the comprehensive credit situation of himself and his family.
There were also some black-market leverages and private fundraising. They could magnify this rate to 20 times, 30 times, or even more…
While his income was swelling, his risks were also skyrocketing.
Jerriman thought this was a great opportunity for the beggars of Somerland to send money to the capitalists of the United States. Many people felt the same way.
In the beginning, as everyone expected, Quantum Fund began to enter the Layman Investment Bank stock market to lift the share price. However, JW Foundation’s determination exceeded everyone’s expectations. At this moment, they brazenly launched a decisive battle.
Thus, they were caught off guard. Quantum Fund’s defensive line broke, and Layman Investment Bank’s stock price plummeted as the empty orders were ripped apart like paper.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
In the office of his clinic, Jerriman did not have the patience to put on a white coat that he so often did before.
At this moment, his eyes were red, and his expression looked ferocious. He wanted badly to smash the computer in front of him.
Layman Investment Bank‘s stock price fell below 100 US Dollars and reached the 99.5 US Dollar mark. Everyone could tell that if Quantum Fund did not continue to put in money, then it was only a matter of time before Layman’s stock price crashed.
At this moment, Jerriman’s loss had reached 750 thousand US Dollars.
Ring ring ring.
The phone on his desk rang.
Jerriman shot up from this chair as if he had been electrocuted. After that, he grabbed the phone and answered it.
“Mr. Smith Jerriman, I am the account manager assigned to you by the securities company. Now you have only 50 thousand usable principal left in your securities account. Do you need to increase the principal?”
The cold and merciless voice on the phone fueled the hatred in Jerriman’s heart.
“What are you in such a hurry for? Maybe it will rise in the next second!”
The person on the other end of the phone seemed to be tired of hearing such words. He continued coldly, “But according to your additional 8 times leverage, the current Layman Investment Bank stock price is 99.5 US Dollars, if it falls to 99.1 US Dollars, you’ll be formally liquidated.”
“When that happens, the securities company will forcibly close your position to ensure that the leveraged funds are not lost to you…”
“What?!”
Before the manager of the securities company finished speaking, Jerriman let out a scream of horror.
At this moment, on Jerriman’s computer screen, Layman Investment Bank’ 8 stock price officially broke through the 99.5 US Dollar defense line and fell to 98.9 US Dollars!
This meant that all Jerriman’s property had evaporated in this short morning.
On the phone call, the account manager of the securities company paused for a while. Apparently, he had also seen the real-time stock price situation.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jerriman, I must inform you that your securities account has been liquidated…”
At the same time, there were countless people in the United States, and even throughout the world, who was facing bankruptcy just like Jerriman.
These people all believed that Somerland capital would fail, and that Layman‘s stock price would inevitably hold strong at the limit.
“It’s reached the limit down!”
Inside the center in Harbor City, Kayden‘s glasses reflected the red and green light of the screen. He listened to the cheers of victory in his ears and let out a sigh of relief.
Even Kayden was nervous at this moment. After all, his opponent was Wall Street of the United States.
They had to suppress the stock price of the world‘s second-largest investment bank. He would have never imagined this a month ago. However, this reality was playing out right in front of him.
He really dragged down the stock price of Layman Investment Bank to the limit down alongside Jasper.
There were no long buy orders and countless massive sell orders were still accumulating.
Countless funds fled madly, and no one seemed to dare to go against the general trend anymore.
At this moment, almost without warning, Layman‘s stock price was sealed at the limit down. This happened as fast as when a snowflake met the sun.
It was so fast that even the traders had no time to report this to the higher-ups. It was because the data would change before they said a single word. In just over ten seconds, the limit down was opened!
Dense transaction data started to appear on the long buy orders list that was initially wiped out.
Countless buy orders converged, rolling in like waves, abruptly meeting the short sell orders that were previously blocked at the limit.
“It’s the counterattack from Quantum Fund!”
Kayden saw the buy order numbers that would make anyone’s heart race. More than ten seconds later, Quantum Fund invested at least 80 billion US Dollars.
He shouted, “This is such a large order that it must be Quantum Fund. They finally used their main funds. Immediately contact the center in Nauritus City and ask the headquarters to give a response strategy!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1547
In the trading center in Nauritus CIty.
The requests from the two trading centers in Waterhoof City and Harbor City were sent to Jasper almost simultaneously.
Everyone, including Jake and Baz. was staring at Jasper. They were waiting for him to make a decision.
At this moment, every second of hesitation and delay would bring about a fluctuation of about tens of millions of dollars, or even hundreds of millions of dollars, in wealth.
Jasper stood at the center of everyone’s attention. He knew that the issue was pressing, and every wasted minute was money, but because of this, he was in even less of a rush to make a decision.
“S – Sir?”
Baz could not take it anymore. He asked, “Harbor City and Waterhoof City are waiting for you to make a decision.”
“They are not the only ones.”
Jasper smiled and said, “The whole world is waiting.”
“Layman? Who said I really want to engage with Layman?”
Jasper sneered and raised his hand. “Jake, where is the information I asked you to prepare?”
Jake’s eyes flashed with excitement. He handed a piece of information to Jasper and said, “It’s all here.”
Picking up the information in his hand, Jasper shook his head and said, “The companies here are the major shareholder companies of Softwin Investments. If we take down these companies, then Softwin will be in trouble.”
“Wall Street Capital is so powerful. They represent the pressure of the entire Western consortium. How can we enjoy such a brilliant and bright moment by ourselves? We should also let our neighbors enjoy it as well.”
As Jasper distributed the document, the Waterhoof City and Harbor City centers also received the material.
“Wonderful!”
Kayden looked at the faxed document in his hand. Not only did it contain the lists and stock codes of several large companies, but also Jasper’s overall plan for the next step.
“Execute this now!” Kayden laughed loudly.
At the same time, JW Foundation’s main capital was withdrawn from Layman Investment Bank stocks without warning.
Far across the Pacific Ocean, Rogers frowned.
“Why hasn’t Jasper moved yet?”
Looking at the empty short-selling trading column in the Layman Investment Bank stock market, Rogers felt that something was amiss. However, he could not place a finger on what was wrong.
The entire trading center was quiet, and everyone was confused.
“Let’s not concern ourselves with him first. Raise Layman’s stock price,” Rogers ordered in a deep voice.
Just as his order was issued and executed, the Dow Jones Index suddenly rioted.
The stocks of several small but powerful companies were shorted by massive amounts of funds at the same time!
Moreover, they did so across a large range of companies.
“JW Foundation has moved!”
When the voice was heard, Rogers looked up suddenly, but saw that Layman Investment Bank‘s stock price was still moving on an orderly upward fashion due to his intervention. There was seemingly no interruption. While he was still caught in a daze, the intelligence analyst had already sent the intelligence to Rogers.
“W Dowton Company, Hattaway Investment Group, and East Terra Investment Bank’s stocks were suddenly shorted!”
“After our analysis, we determined that these orders came from the main funds of JW Foundation!”
Rogers’ heart skipped a beat and he immediately shouted, “Show me the stocks of these companies!”
The stock market data was immediately transferred to the big screen and displayed. Everyone looked up and saw a blood-red fall.
The stock price line that was cut in half on the Layman Investment Bank stock market just now had repeated itself on these three companies stock markets.
“What the hell is Jasper doing? Why did he suddenly change the angle of his attack?”
Rogers felt that a huge conspiracy was engulfing him, but at this moment, he was not sure what Jasper‘s real purpose was.
“Sir, shall we intervene?” His subordinate asked.
Roger looked conflicted.
“What if this is Jasper’s smoke bomb so that we’ll be up to our ears in work? If this is the case, wouldn’t he be leading us by the nose?”
“These three companies… Why these three companies?”
Rogers desperately wanted an answer.
He had a feeling that Jasper did not do this without a purpose. He definitely had a reason for doing this. This confusion continued until he inadvertently glimpsed on a crucial piece of data.
The Nikkei Index was plummeting!
“Nikkei Index! Quick, open the Nikkei Index!”
Rogers shouted.
Following his command, the content displayed on the screen changed again. Now, it showed the Nikkei index.
The Nikkei Index, which represented the stock market of Sunrise Land, had experienced a huge drop at this moment.
The reason for this situation was because the largest investment bank in Sunrise Land, Softwin Investments’, stock price had plummeted!
“Softwin!”
“It’s Softwin!”
“I see!”
“Jasper, you bastard, you really are sinister!”
Rogers had a sudden realization and he almost yelled when he understood Jasper’s true purpose.
At this moment, he understood everything.
Whether it was rousing the market or targeting the stock price of Layman Investment Bank, even the attitude for a seemingly decisive battle that Jasper had put forward before was all deliberate.
His real goal was to divert the fire from this battle to Softwin in Sunrise Land!
“Sir, we have discovered that W Dowton Company, Hattaway Investment Group, and East Terra Investment Bank are the largest shareholders of Softwin Investments. This is especially true for East Terra Investment Bank, which has cross-shareholding with Softwin Investments. So, they are bound together for better or for worse.”
“The stock price of these three companies plummeted, which directly caused the stock price of Softwin Investments to shrink substantially. The chain reaction caused the Nikkei Index to plummet.”
“Sir, we must come up with a response plan immediately. Otherwise, Softwin might put pressure on us.”
As he listened to the report from his subordinates, Rogers said coldly, “Jasper caused them trouble, but they are putting pressure on us? Do you think the monkeys from Sunrise Land have the balls to do that?”
The subordinate explained in awkwardness, “In truth, Softwin’s chairman, Mr. Shon has asked to communicate with Mr. Soros.”
The comers of Rogers’ mouth twitched. He said coldly, “Where did Jasper get his courage? Is he not afraid that Softwin will team up with us and destroy him?”
“I’m afraid, of course, I‘m afraid.”
“But what’s the use of being afraid? Will it not happen just because I’m afraid? The more afraid of acting you are, the greater the probability that it will happen.”
Jasper stood in front of the video conference in the trading center of Nauritus City. He explained himself as he looked at Kayden, the little prince, and Lord Alvarado.
“Softwin has been deeply the developments of our battle. I have reason to suspect that they’ll take action sooner or later. If that’s the case, I’ll pull drag in earlier. Now, it won’t be so easy to watch everything unfold at one side before stabbing me during the critical moment.”
“Now, the ones who should be involved are all here. It’s time for us to massacre them.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1548
The collapse of the Nikkei had made people realize that although Somerland capital and Wall Street capital are now competing, this did not mean that others could sit back and relax.
It was just that, at the same time, there was also a question that lingered in everyone’s mind.
Why did Jasper have the courage to provoke a Softwin when he could not even handle Wall Street alone?
Sunrise Land, Softwin Cherry Blossom Building.
In the top-level conference room, the high-level leaders of the headquarters who dared to come in a hurry to support Softwin all looked very serious. They were sitting in their positions like someone had died and said nothing.
Everyone knew what happened, but since their superior did not say anything, they did not dare to comment. Yet, no matter what, everyone’s eyes were filled with anger and it seemed that there was an urgent need to vent.
Soon, the door of the conference room was pushed open from the outside.
A bald old man with a small figure and not very handsome face walked in quickly. Behind him was a beautiful young female secretary with a graceful figure.
One was ugly and one was beautiful, one was thin and the other was plump. They formed a strong visual impact.
Yet, no one felt that this was not right.
In Sunrise Land, women were just vassals of men.
No matter how beautiful a woman was, they were just a man’s plaything. The more capable a man was, the more beautiful his plaything would be.
Since Myles was standing at the top of the Sunrise Land capital circle, he had the strength and qualification to own the most beautiful plaything in Sunrise Land.
He hurriedly walked into the conference room. The executives, regardless of their status, all stood up and bowed their heads to greet him respectfully and solemnly.
“Hello, sir!”
The idea of inferiority or superiority engraved into the bones of the people of Sunrise Land was vividly manifested at this moment.
Myles raised his hand. He sat down at the front of the table and said, “My colleagues, sit down.”
The uniform sound of seating could be heard again.
Myles said with a serious expression, “Everyone already knows what happened more than ten minutes ago. Now the war between Somerland capital and Wall Street capital has spread to Sunrise Land.”
“As the leader in the financial industry of Sunrise Land, we at Softwin are the first target. In this regard, I would like to ask you all to express your views and opinions.”
After Myles said that, a man sitting near him said in a deep voice, “Mr. Shon, my colleagues, this is Somerland’ s provocation against Sunrise Land. It is absolutely intolerable.”
After the man said that, the other executives expressed their opinions and they all had the same ideas.
Myles’ expression was calm and there were not many changes in his expression to be seen.
“Everyone…”
After everyone had expressed their opinions, Myles spoke slowly.
“The current situation is what everyone can see. JW Foundation can’t even support themselves in the face of Wall Street capital, but at this critical point, why do they dare to provoke us?”
This question silenced the conference room for a while.
None of the people present were fools since they could be a Softwin executive or a core executive who can have a direct meeting with Myles.
The truth was simple and anyone could figure it out with a little thought, but these smart people could not get an answer even after they racked their brains.
Why?
Why did Jasper do that?
“In order to answer this question, I decided to add a middle-level member of Softwin to this meeting. He has dealt with Jasper before and he should be able to give us some inspiration.”
After Myles said that, he glanced at the secretary beside him who was lowering her head to take notes.
The secretary immediately got up and opened the door. Surprisingly, the one standing outside the door was Echo.
Echo, who had been notified long ago, took a deep breath, suppressed the nervousness in his heart, nodded to the secretary, and walked into the meeting room while the executives looked at him.
Naturally, there was no place for him at the conference table. Echo stood in the corner, bowed to all the executives, and said, “Everyone, I am Echo Welch of the investment planning department.”
“I was ordered to go to Somerland to negotiate business, and during that, I had several contacts with Jasper, the soul and founder of JW Foundation.”
“Huh? Discuss business?” A voice quickly interrupted Echo‘s speech.
“Back then, the discussion between the chairman and Wayne Marlon was going fine. After they asked you to maintain it, you gave Wayne, a hen who can lay golden eggs, to Jasper.”
“Now Abbylon has occupied 80% of the market share of Somerland’s domestic e-commerce platform. This is a 100 billion-level blue ocean market and you lost it. Is this called a business negotiation?”
Upon hearing these words, the comers of Echo’s mouth twitched.
The person who spoke was an executive. His nephew previously failed in Echo‘s position as deputy manager of the investment planning department. Now, he had seized the opportunity, and naturally, he would bring Echo down.
“That was my mistake.”
Echo did not justify himself. He understood the rules of the workplace in his own country. If the seniors said you were wrong, then you were wrong. Admitting your mistakes could add a little bit of a good impression for yourself. However, if you force an explanation, you would only isolate yourself from everyone.
In the Sunrise Land workplace, being isolated means the death of a career.
Hence, Echo’s attitude of simply admitting mistakes won the favor of some executives.
At this moment, Myles said, “This matter has passed, and what needs to be discussed now has nothing to do with that matter. Echo, you already know what happened before you came, right? Now the company’s senior management needs you to give your opinion.”
Echo took a deep breath, knowing that he was being tested by the highest level of investment banking.
If he did it well, all the bad deeds that were given to him by Jasper before would be gone, but if he failed, even his powerful family would not be able to help him much. After all, although his family was strong, he was not the only heir.
Moreover, he is just a marginal nobody among the younger generation of the family.
Recalling what Fabian told him a few minutes ago in his mind, a sharp glint flashed across Echo’s eyes and he said, “I’ll tell everyone my judgment first. I think it’s not unexpected that Jasper will make this choice.
“And the reason why Jasper did this is to pull us into the battlefield and ignite the fire completely.
Life at the Top Chapter 1549
“From Jasper’s perspective, no matter how many cards JW Foundation had, they would eventually be defeated in the face of Wall Street’s power. If he wants to win, or perhaps, to delay for as long as possible. Then, there is only one way, and that is to muddy the water as much as possible. With this goal in mind, who is the best person to drag into the game? Us.”
Echo was speaking more fluently, and his train of thought became smoother. He said loudly, “For Jasper, if JW Foundation will be dead sooner or later, then they might as well pull us down before they die. When he is finished, what will happen between us and Wall Street Capital? How can we coexist peacefully?”
“After all, it’s fine if you don’t join in this battle. Once you join, if you eventually stand on the victorious side, you will inevitably need to divide the spoils. That‘s when the conflict between us and Western capital will break out.”
Echo’s words made every executive in the conference room frown.
“This is not right.”
Someone shook their head.
“This does not benefit Jasper at all.”
Echo replied, “This is only the most probable possibility. The basis for this conclusion is that Jasper is bound to fail. But what if Jasper‘s purpose is to mess up the situation, then use any other means to hit us and Wall Street hard?”
Everyone looked at each other after Echo said that. Myles also frowned. He said, “Mr. Welch, what proof do you have?”
Echo shook his head and said, “I have none.”
He opened his hand and said, “After all, what we are doing now is coming up with unfounded guesses, right?”
Myles asked, “So, according to what you said, what should the company do now?”
Echo said decisively, “Use the cruelest means in the shortest possible time to make Jasper understand that he will be the first one to be engulfed in flames after he diverts the fire toward Softwin.”
“What about your previous guess?” Someone asked.
Echo smiled and said, “Regardless of if it’s true or not, we have to do this.
“The Eastern Empire does not allow any form of provocation, and Softwin can’t simply swallow its anger in the face of such malicious attacks. Our citizens will be the first to accuse us of our incompetence.”
“What’s more, if we don’t do anything, the Nikkei and the Sunrise Land stock market will plummet, and no one can bear the fall.”
The executives in the room fell silent.
After a long time, Myles said to Echo, “Okay Mr. Welch, thank you for your opinion. Please leave now.”
Echo nodded. He then turned around and left the meeting. He was not disappointed, because he understood very well that in the highly hierarchical workplace of Sunrise Land, no matter how good his performance today was, he could not attend such a high-level meeting. Being able to speak here was already regarded as exceptional mercy from Myles’ side.
After Echo left, Myles slowly said, “Before the meeting started, I had already spoken with Mr. Soros from Quantum Fund…”
Fifteen minutes later, this meeting about the future of Softwin ended. Not long after returning to his office, Echo received a new appointment letter. “Interim Commander of the Financial Department of Softwin Investments.”
Echo was so excited that he was shaking.
He knew he did not do anything in vain. As soon as he got this appointment, he contacted Fabian.
“You are right. After I told them what you told me, I managed to persuade the executives. Now, Softwin is about to make a move.”
“Yes, I am solely responsible.”
“From now on, I will have control of hundreds of billions of US Dollars, and this money will be used to pressure Jasper.”
“I know what to do. Let’s just wait and see.”
One hour after JW Foundation launched a snipe against Softwin Investments, Softwin Investments issued an announcement
“In response to the malicious funding attacks from some entities with ill intentions, Softwin Investments will do whatever it takes to make them pay a heavy price!”
Following this announcement was a full-scale attack by Softwin Investments. The offense Softwin launched this time encompassed a wide range of very targeted attacks.
“Mr. Laine, the stocks of local Somerland companies headed by Sena plummeted across the board.”
Baz reported the situation to Jasper solemnly.
“How about the loss?”
Jasper kept frowning, but his expression was calm. The situation at this moment was within his expectations. Now, not only Sena, but all of Somerland’s local companies that went to the United States were also facing an almost insane attack from Softwin.
“It’s huge.”
Baz found Sena’s stock price, pointed to the shocking declining index, and said, “If this continues, the limit will be lowered soon unless we enter the market.”
Jasper said lightly, “In addition to Sena, there are dozens of Somerland company stocks being attacked. Even if I have the power to save Sena, do you think I can save all of them?”
Baz replied bitterly, “But at the end of the day, Sena is…”
“What? My business?”
Baz nodded awkwardly.
Everyone was selfish. After all, a one-point drop in the stock price at this moment meant that Jasper’s wealth was also shrinking by one point.
“Anyone else can think like this, but not me.”
Jasper sighed softly, “I am not claiming that I am a saint. If I can, I would fish Sena out first, but now our alliance is loose, and there are still some people who have vested interests.”
“lf l take out the money from the foundation to save Sena at this moment, then JW Foundation might as well be disbanded.”
Baz asked, “What about us?”
Jasper said coldly, “Continue fighting. Now the situation is a three way melee, we’ll see who is the first to lose out.”
After speaking, Jasper connected the video call. He stared at the little prince, Kayden, and others on the screen and said in a deep voice, “The goal is Softwin and Quantum Fund. Today, I will beat them by 1000 points on the Nikkei and Dow Jones Index.”
Kayden and the little prince looked at each other.
The little prince was fine with this. Because of his family background, he had shares of some listed companies on the stock market, but not many. However, Kayden was different.
The J. Langdons had countless investments all over the world. This round of attacks on Somerland’s listed companies by Softwin and Quantum Fund had cost him extremely heavy losses.
“Sure.”
Kayden’s eyes looked calm, and he nodded.
The little prince smiled and said, “I have no objections.”
“Let‘s start then,” Jasper said calmly.
Life at the Top Chapter 1550
With Softwin’s offensive against Somerland listed companies, the struggle that was initially between Somerland Capital and Wall Street Capital escalated into a melee between the three huge sides.
The situation was extremely chaotic.
JW Foundation terrified and surprised everyone with their determination to smash the Dow Jones and Nikkei Index.
Meanwhile, Wall Street Capital seemed to be infuriated too. On one hand, it desperately attempted to maintain the stability of the Dow Jones Index, and on the other hand, it launched an extremely ferocious offensive against JW Foundation.
At the same time, Softwin bolstered the assault from Wall Street Capital. It simultaneously launched a fierce offensive against all Somerland -listed companies in the United States.
Faced with the siege of the two major capital groups, the pressure on JW Foundation increased sharply. It seemed that the defeat of the entire Somerland capital was inevitable.
However, Jasper was in a good mood.
“Baz, show me the entire capital volume data of the Dow Jones Index today.”
After Jasper’s order, a data graph soon appeared in front of him. Looking at the data in front of him, Jasper smiled and asked Jake next to him, “Do you see anything?”
Jake smiled and said, “The funds are fleeing.”
People who did not have a certain professional level could not understand this dense data. It would be like double Dutch to them.
However, in Jake’s point of view, all of this could not be more obvious.
He pointed to today’s opening data and said, “When the market opened today, we could roughly see that retail funds accounted for 85% of the Dow Jones Index trading funds, while the rest were institutions and capital groups like us.”
“But now, with the chaos formed by the three major capital groups, a large number of retail funds are fleeing with every passing second.”
Jasper nodded and said, “Yes, retail funds are the real masters of the financial market, and their capital is the basis of the entire mechanism.”
“Retail funds have no backbone. They can only look at the market’s trend and direction. This is why retail investors are always played as fools by dealers.”
“At the moment, the Dow Jones Index is serving as the battlegrounds of the three major capital groups. We are under great pressure, but no matter which side has the advantage, violent fluctuations in the market will be inevitable. Under this fluctuation, the retail investors will save themselves and choose to flee temporarily.”
Jake’s eyes flashed with admiration and said, “Yes, if I were a retail investor, I would definitely not take any risks at this time.”
“After all, this is a melee of the three major capital groups, and the slightest action from their part can completely destroy me.”
“A single retail investor in this situation is like a little ant looking for food next to two fighting behemoths. If you don’t run quickly at this time, then you’re not looking for food anymore, you’re looking to die.”
“That’s right.” Jasper nodded. “It’s very simple. Any retail investor will understand this.”
“So now, the amount of retail funds has fallen to less than 70%. The 15% of funds we represent was enough to cause a big tsunami.”
Jasper chuckled, waved his hand at Jake, and said, “Go and execute this. You know how to do it, right?”
Jake laughed and said, “It’s just hammering the market.”
When he saw Jasper nodding, Jake immediately turned around to get back to work.
Meanwhile, their conversation was broadcast live to the trading centers in Waterhoof City and Harbor City.
“Jasper, to be honest, sometimes I really find you terrifying,” Kayden said sincerely.
Lord Alvarado nodded expectantly. “I can’t wait.”
Jasper smiled and said, “I asked you to buy gold before this. Have you already done so?”