Ch. 1811..1820
Life at the Top Chapter 1811
Jasper’s heart trembled.
If the palace guards of SBS Bank were under Jasper’s command, then this was a kind of private support that Swallow Capital was extending Jasper. However, if the Harbor City Ministry of Finance came into the game directly, it would be tantamount to telling the world, ‘You guessed right, the Somerland government is behind Jasper and the Somerland government will support Jasper.’
The core executives of Swallow Capital knew very well that in such a difficult situation, what Jasper needed the most was not necessarily capital, because no amount of capital could match the Federal Reserve.
What he needed was them to declare their position and their support.
The current Somerland was no longer the Somerland from decades ago that was built on the ruins and was so poor that everyone looked down on it anymore.
Since the reformation and opening up,
more countries and capital had begun to
witness this eastern country burst forth. T
o Jasper, having such power backing him s
o openly was tantamount to them giving
him aid in his time of need.
After putting down the phone call with
Zachary, Jasper immediately contacted
Reuben.
“So?”
Reuben knew that Jasper already had
obtained a result if he was receiving
Jasper’s video call request at this time.
“200 billion US Dollars.”
Jasper simply reported a number with a
heavy tone.
Even Reuben took a sharp breath at that
moment.
In this operation, the funds he brought to
the game only amounted to 50 billion US
Dollars, but the wealthy families in
Harbor City alone collected 200 billion US
dollars. While lamenting the profound
heritage of these Harbor City families,
Reuben was feeling sorry that these old
men had taken out all of their life savings for this.
“To be honest, in the beginning, I fought this battle because I was selfish.”
Jasper said suddenly.
The capital finance field was essentially the same as other industries. The greater
the risk, the greater the benefit.
The degree of difficulty in this financial battle with the United States was so high that it was difficult for outsiders to imagine.
If he knew that things would get so bad, Jasper would definitely have changed his tactics at the beginning so it would not get so intense and direct.
After all, JW was still too weak to support the requirements of such a financial war.
However, in the beginning, Jasper did it for profit.
Once they won this financial war and the subprime mortgage crisis was detonated ahead of time, Jasper would become the biggest winner, instantly bridging 20 years of worth of growth and allowing JW t o form a consortium and develop economic strength comparable to those century-old conglomerates the moment it entered the international market.
“But later, I realized that if I lost this financial war that had already been set off, then it would be as if a tunnel was opened in an abyss and the demons in the abyss would follow this tunnel to reap all o f the achievements Somerland obtained since the reformation. Therefore, I cannot lose. At that time that I felt I was fighting for the country.
“But now, I suddenly realized…”
A bitter smile appeared on Jasper’s face, and he continued, “Who am I to fight for the country? There have always been countless people like Old Master Law who supported me behind the scenes, and that’s how I came this far. Otherwise, I would have already lost everything on the Dow Jones Index as early as a few months ago.”
Reuben looked at Jasper, who appeared tired and regretful on the screen, and fell silent for a while.
Life at the Top Chapter 1812
Japer.”
Reuben said in a deep voice, “This is not the time for you to be depressed, and it is also not the time for you to preach false modesty. Think about the billions of people in Somerland, but recognize that at this time, this kind of heavy burden can only be placed on you.
“It’s not that you chose all of this, but that all this chose you.”
“At this time, anyone can fall, but you must not. If you really can’t handle this expectation and responsibility, then immediately tell Swallow Capital and let Swallow Capital send someone to clean up the mess for you. However, if you do this, everything you have done in the past few years will be in vain. Have you thought seriously about itthis
“You don’t need to spur me into action by making negative remarks about me.”
Jasper rubbed his face and said, “I know what I should do.”
“Very well then.”
Reuben stared at Jasper and said slowly, Mr. Laine, please give the order.” Jasper gave Reuben a deep look, laughed,
and called Jake and Baz over,
“At the moment, it is a struggle between life-and-death. Hence, I give you the authority to mobilize the 200 billion US
Dollars from Harbor City. There is only one goal, and that is to crash the subprime market for me.”
Turning to look at Reuben, Jasper said in a deep voice, “The mission of the palace guards is to follow the main funds and to
siege all the long positions that are exposed after the main funds are pushed. I only have one request for you and that is
to liquidate any positions that you find!”
Jake, Baz, and Reuben perked up and
replied at the same time, “Roger!”
Financial trading seemed complicated, but it was essentially a game of hurtingpeople with capital. When the amount of
money reached a certain scale, all the fancy tricks were useless. There was only one operation that really needed to be
performed, and that was inputting the target price and position, then clicking to the order button.
After that, the funds would do everything
for you.
Just a minute after Jasper gave the order, everyone was ready.
Standing in the corridor of the command room and holding the railing with both hands, he looked up at the huge screen hanging in the center and said softly, ” Execute Operation Slaughter Eagle.”
After he said that, in the capital battlefield that was invisible in the real world, a torrent of funds whizzed past Harbor City and instantly crossed to the other side of the ocean, flooding into the subprime market of the United States.
What would happen if short-selling orders amounting to 200 billion US Dollars rushed into the market in an instant?
At this moment, all the buy orders in the entire subprime market were swept away. This global market with a daily trading volume of trillions of dollars was
liquidated.
The three supercomputers used to support the calculation of the subprime market transactions unexpectedly froze at that moment and all the data halted. After just a few seconds, the supercomputer calculated the market according to the formula and then reflected that data in the form of a candlestick chart on the computer screens in front of all the people around the world who were watching this financial war.
Stock market crash!
The real stock market crash!
The huge subprime market looked as if it had been sliced in half by a huge knife. It plunged straight down, almost penetrating the screen.
After scanning through all the long orders on the market, the system displayed a full 130 billion empty orders hanging on the sell column, indicating a complete collapse of the market.
It was not unusual to see individual stocks reach the limit down, but had you ever seen the market reach the limit down? Today, the subprime market of the United States experienced this miracle and witnessed a scene unprecedented throughout all of human financial history.
Life at the Top Chapter 1813
“In 13 seconds, the subprime market crashed 22%!” Jake screamed in a borderline croaking
voice, attracting everyone’s attention.
Immediately afterward, cheers almost
blew off the roof.
The 22% flash crash not only meant that all of JW’s funds would not face the risk of liquidation, but more importantly, it
directly penetrated the defensive line built by the United States capital in the subprime market.
Once you broke through the defensive line, the rest of the subprime market was like a woman that was stripped naked
such that you could do whatever you wanted with her.
However, although Jasper had a smile on his face as he watched Jake and the rest cheering and jumping in joy, there was a touch of melancholy and worry in the deepest part of his eyes.
He knew very well that the current battle progress was paid for by the decades worth of savings had been accumulated by those elders in Harbor City.
Moreover, if the United States government or the Federal Reserve was determined to rescue the market at all costs, he might not even win even after sacrificing all of the resources from Harbor City.
Although at the end of his previous life,
the United States government and the Federal Reserve realized that the subprime mortgage crisis was a problem with the United States economic system itself and did not desperately rescue the market, the subprime mortgage crisis in the previous life only broke out because the contradictions accumulated to the point where they could not be suppressed anymore.
This time, it was blown up by him, a man from Somerland.
The cause was different, so the result.
might change.
He could not use his previous life’s
experience to determine what the United
States would do now.
At this moment, the situation in the
subprime market was still getting worse.
A 22% flash crash within 13 seconds. Even
financial practitioners from around the
world were so scared that goosebumps
started appearing on their skin, let alone
the investors in the subprime market.
Once upon a time, nobody could have
imagined that the local financial market i
n the United States would turn into a
crater blown up by the people of
Somerland.
This was completely unheard of in the
world, let alone in the United States’
financial market.
No matter how arrogant the financial
tycoons were, they dared not make such a
suicide attack.
However, facts were facts.
10 minutes after the flash crash, the
busiest individuals happened to be the
paramedics from emergency centers all around the world.
This was because a lot of long-term investors went bankrupt at this moment. Their hearts could not stand this pressure of this, so they fainted and were sent to the hospital.
The United States was in turmoil.
“The Twin Towers and the Pentagon were just bombed, and not long after, another explosion that had more serious consequences than the terrorist attack happened in the financial sector.”
In the office of the secretary of the Treasury of the United States, Hamilton sweated profusely while listening to the roar from the president of the United States.
Life at the Top Chapter 1814
“I’m sorry, Mr. President. We didn’t that Jasper to sacrifice all of Harbor City and crash the subprime market at once. We will immediately discuss this and come up with a solution.”
“If it were not for the emergency, I would tell you to resign and leave immediately, but Mr. Hamilton, I hope you can understand that both my and the people’s patience is limited. If you still can’t stop the current situation from deteriorating, then you shouldn’t be sitting in that chair,”
On the other end of the phone, Hamilton’s eyelids twitched as he felt the anger of the president. It felt like a volcano that was about to erupt.
He took a deep breath and said, “Mr. President, according to the information provided by the intelligence agency, not only did funds belonging to Somerland’s SBS Bank participate in this attack, but when the 200 billion US Dollar suicide attack just happened, 50 billion US Dollars were contributed by the Harbor City government.
“In this regard, we must ask Somerland t o immediately divest and pay compensation, otherwise, we will put pressure on it in from all directions.” The president on the other end of the phone gritted his teeth and said coldly, “D o you think I didn’t expect this? I asked to see the ambassador in Somerland before calling you, but their embassy told me
that the ambassador has gone to Hawaii for vacation! “Damn those Somerland punks, they are despicable to the bone! They actually used such shoddy means to prevaricate me. They are not respecting our country at all!”
Hamilton sighed deeply when he heardthat. He said, “If necessary, please use the special telephone line with the highest
authority in Somerland. Once the Somerland government participates in this matter, it is likely to become a financial war between the east and the west.”
“Even the ambassador has gone to Hawaii
for vacation. Do you think their highest
authority will succumb to us as before?
“Mr. Hamilton now is not the time for you to tell me how to do handle my affairs. I a m asking you to save the current situation!
“The government’s attitude is the final expression of the will of the state. At that time, if we and the Somerland government have a fall-out, then it will cause unpredictable consequences. These Somerland people will not sign any treaties surrendering their territory under humiliating terms like a hundred years ago anymore.
“So whether it is me or the highest authority of Somerland, we will try our best to restrict things to just the financial industry, so your task is very important.
“If you lose, the United States will become the laughing stock of the world, and if you win, the entire Somerland will be our ATM. Then, the world will once again understand the majesty of the United States and no one will dare provoke us again, understand?”
Hamilton was silent for a moment. He was digesting what the president had said. In summary, it was just one sentence.
In this current situation, whether it was the somerland government or the United States government, they would try to keep the matter under the table to control the situation, that is, they intended to leave this to the financial sector. However, if
the matter could not be controlled, no one would be able to bear the consequences.
Meanwhile, he, Hamilton, had become a
chess player for
United States
government and would be handling the
following war in the financial sector.
When he thought about this, Hamilton
could not help but lament about his old
friend. Greenspaner’s foresight was
vicious, and he was scheming, so this was
all within his expectations.
As a result, Hamilton also took advantage
of the opportunity to voice the plans and
methods Greenspaner had already
proposed to him.
“Mr. President, at present, the collapse of
the subprime market and the resulting
financial crisis are inevitable.
“The reason the subprime market crashed 22% in 13 seconds was not only because Jasper paid the price of sacrificing Harbor City, but also because of the loopholes in our system. This problem would have appeared sooner or later even without Jasper and his hundreds of billions of dollars.
“So, I suggest that we use the bloodletting treatment to blow up this financial crisis directly. At the same time, we need to focus our energy on another place.
“Since Jasper burned our backyard with a torch, why can’t we go directly to Somerland’s A-share market and overturn his nest?”
Life at the Top Chapter 1815
Hamilton’s words caused a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.
“Mr. President, I have already written the relevant report and I will send it to your email immediately. Please approve and
put in your comments after you review it with your team.”
Hamilton’s words brought the president o n the other end of the phone back to his senses.
“Okay, I look forward to your report.”
After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
Hamilton sat next to the computer in excitement and sent an email from the encrypted USB flash drive to the business
e-mail of the president in Washington.
Hamilton knew that if this went smoothly, this report would be classified a s top secret and would be kept
permanently under wraps.
As the initiator of this report, Hamilton felt a sense of accomplishment from participating in a major historical process.
Facing the current tense domestic economic situation, Washington had obviously raised the priority of this report to the highest level.
Hamilton only waited for an hour before h e received an official notice.
Approved!
That word perked Hamilton up.
He immediately contacted his partner, Greenspaner.
“Washington has passed our report and w e can start at any time.”
Hamilton’s words did not surprise Greenspaner too much.
No one knew the economic system and economic rules of the United States better than him. This idea was proposed by him, so he was confident that Washington would pass it.
“Those people from Somerland need to be taught a lesson to let them understand who has the final say in this world.”
Greenspaner said to Hamilton.
“However, we need some time to prepare before entering Somarland’s financial market. Before that, we must maintain the subprime market so that it does not collapse too much.
“I heard that Layman is already looking for investors to acquire them, and we can manipulate this. We have to find a way to facilitate this transaction and at least help them find a good buyer. In this way, the blow on Wall Street capital from the crisis this time will be greatly reduced.
“In addition to this, in terms of policy, I a m considering exempting 70% of the interest on housing loans across the federal government.
“The most important item in the subprime market is the housing credit loan trust. If we exempt interest, it will be a benign stimulus to the real estate market, so that people will not be burdened with debt pressure that might
ward off interest.”
Hamilton nodded as he listened.
However, when he heard about the 70% interest exemption, he frowned slightly and said, “Isn’t this ratio too large? If such a heavy burden is transferred from the people to the banks, many banks may go bankrupt.”
“Then so be it.”
Greenspaner spread his hands and said, ” Who said that the bank can’t go bankrupt?
“Those small and medium-sized banks can’t contribute much to the federal government. If they go bankrupt, then so b e it. After all, in a financial crisis, there will be sacrifices. Who cares whether they live or die?”
“The problem is that once banks go bankrupt on a large scale, it will lead to the collapse of the bank’s credit system, then, the interests of a large number of depositors will be impaired. Furthermore, banks, as the main distributing body of loans, will inevitably lead to large-scale personal loan defaults throughout society if they fail. It will be very serious.”
Hamilton still hesitated. serious.”
“That’s why Layman can’t collapse.”
Greenspaner’s thin and sunken eye sockets glimmered terrifyingly. He said, ” We need to find a rich and affluent buyer for Layman, preferably someone for Somerland. Aren’t they the most willing t o acquire large assets to show how rich and powerful they are so that they can squeeze into the world’s richest circle?
“Hence, we’ll sell Layman to them as the world’s fourth-largest investment bank. That’s enough for them, right? Of course, one of the conditions is that they must provide an insurance contract, that is, if small banks and medium-sized banks fail on a large scale, they will be responsible t o provide a backstop.”
Hamilton replied in horror, “Why would they agree to this condition? Unless they are crazy, this is a loss of at least tens of billions of dollars!”
Greenspaner chuckled, “But only you and I know what will happen in the future, no? The buyer doesn’t know.”
Hamilton savored it carefully, then looked at Greenspaner in admiration. He said, ” All we have to do is dig this big hole and let those who are ready to buy Layman jump in.”
“Whoever jumps will die, so it’s best if this buyer is from Somerland. Of course, if no Somerland capital is willing to enter, w e won’t force it-whoever has the money can be responsible.” Greenspaner smiled and said.
At this time, an assistant came in and told the two that the subprime market had fallen again, and it had fallen below its lowest point in the past three years.
The two looked at each other and smiled.. They were not as tense and irritable as they were before. Instead, they looked carefree and calm.
Two hours later, the Federal Reserve issued a joint announcement with the United States Department of the Treasury.
“First, we announce that 70% of interest will be exempted for all housing loans in
all our federal territories.
“Second, we’ll comprehensively relax the
access restrictions on the subprime
market and welcome investors, big and
small, as well as institutions, to invest
“Third, we’ll urge Congress to pass a tax
bill to reduce taxes by 10% for companies i
n the real estate industry.”
When Jake reported the news, Jasper was
drinking tea with the little prince and
Lord Alvarado.
The two had just arrived in Nauritus City.
As the host, Jasper naturally wanted to
receive them properly.
“Hmm, not bad, but they are a bit rash.”
Jasper put down his teacup and laughed, ” The second one is just rubbish and the third one is basically useless. The political system means that even if the Federal Congress passes this bill, the following state capitals and state assemblies will most likely not implement it because it will affect the income of the state government.
“But the first one is pretty interesting.”
Jasper looked at the little prince and Lord Alvarado. Then, he said relaxedly, “The crisis this time will be detonated no matter what. No one can stop it from happening.”
The little prince and Lord Alvarado looked
at each other. They both saw the
excitement in each other’s eyes.
“There is finally some good news after
such a long time. When can we start
exploiting them?”
As the main short-selling institution, JW
Capital’s profits in this round’s subprime
market crash were sky-high.
“Not yet. The best time to do that is when the storm has complete swept across the United States. To be honest, it’s almost impossible for them to make up for the previous deficit now.”
Jasper narrowed his eyes slightly and said
meaningfully, “What’s more, we still
haven’t brought out our two big bombs.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1816
Before the two big bombs mentioned by Jasper appeared, the collapse of the subprime market in the United States took the lead in causing an uproar in the global financial community.
This time, not only the financial sector, even the governments of various countries around the world had begun to stand up.
As a global financial and economic center, once the United States fell into the quagmire of an economic crisis, it would cause a huge blow to the global financial industry.
Under such circumstances, the
announcement issued by the Federal
Reserve and the Department of the Treasury gave the market little
confidence, but it was still a drop in the bucket.
The 300 billion market rescue funds invested by the Federal Reserve before had all evaporated. Not only that, the points in the subprime market were still plunging drastically.
This scene caused countless people to
panic.
It was unknown how many investors and institutions had emptied all their possessions in this sudden crash. Moreover, they were even in huge debts. because of this.
One could see people’s assets such as cars, houses, and stocks being forcibly taken away by the court everywhere. Furthermore, one could see people jumping off high-rise bridges to end their painful life.
The economic crisis brought about by the collapse of the subprime market had affected all aspects of society.
The most terrifying chain reaction was that the decline in the subprime market had led to a full-scale decline in the United States futures and securities stock market.
The stock price of listed companies continued to fall and investors in the market lost their money. Furthermore listed companies were unable to obtain funds from the stock market for corporate development. As a result, countless companies began to lay off employees and shut down factories, and some even went bankrupt.
Therefore, people who had lost their jobs
were looking for new jobs while facing
huge debt pressure at the same time.
The direct result of this was that a large.
number of people began to take to the streets to demonstrate.
Some were blaming the government for being incompetent and some were blaming the rich for making all the money, causing them to be unable to put food on the table. At the same time, others were blaming the Somerland people for causing them to lose their jobs and carry huge debts.
Under tremendous economic pressure,
the racial, social, and class contradictions
in the United States began to make their
appearance one by one.
This was exactly what Jasper had seen in his previous life.
The only difference was that this time it had intensified the hatred of people in the United States toward the people in Somerland.
Conflicts between Somerland immigrants and the United States citizens broke out everywhere. On even more serious occasions, tanned -skinned Terrans had even become the targets of their attacks, and the first to bear the brunt was the Somerlandtowns that were littered all across the United States.
To put it bluntly, not only did the collapse of the subprime market evaporate countless amounts of wealth in the United States, it also exacerbated social conflicts and caused social turmoil.
This was the power of modern finance.
“Dad, how long do you think the chaos in the United States will last?”
In a moving convoy, Kayden, who wast sitting in the middle, turned to ask his father, Half-the-Harbor Langdon, who was sitting next to him.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon still wore his iconic tortoiseshell, black-rimmed glasses. He said, “It has just begun, so
why would it end so soon?”.
Seeing another demonstrator on the side o
f the road holding a banner stating ‘We
want to work, we want to live’, Kayden
said with a complicated expression, Throughout this period, many Somerland shops all over the countryl have been
destroyed, looted, and burned, while we
even have to be equipped with bodyguards
when we go out. Are these people really.
brainless?
“Not only will this not fix things for them, it will make the situation even more unmanageable!”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon smiled. “These people are like a flock of sheep. They will argue because they lost two bales of grass today and two sips of water yesterday, but they never care about the wool that farmers shear from their bodies every year to make coats, or even the farmers slaughtering one or two of their companions to make a roast to entertain the farmer’s friends.
“This kind of inferiority runs through the entire history of the human race. Don’t expect them to suddenly come to a realization one day. If that day comes, it will be the end of us capitalists.”
Kayden lamented, “Speaking of capitalists, I think Jasper is seriously terrifying. He was the one who caused this. with his own hands. To be honest, until the thing actually happened right before m y eyes, I didn’t want to admit that the rascal who is a few years younger than me could do this. Now, I have to admit, I’m not as good as him”
“It’s good that you’re aware of this.” Half -the-Harbor Langdon took off his glasses and said in satisfaction, “Never think that you are the smartest one. Only idiots will have that mindset.
“Our ancestors have always told us that there will always be someone better than u s, but there are always too many idiots who have struggled to nderstand this. Jasper is indeed very good, and his ability i s beyond doubt, but it is precisely because. of this that you can either be his friend or his enemy. There is no third option.”
Kayden sighed sullenly. For people like
him, the arrogance he had was genuine,
and it was different from the attitude
Henry flaunted as the former’s arrogance
came from his very bones. On the surface,
he was gentle and cultivated, but in his
heart, his sense of superiority was
stronger than anyone else’s.
It was because of this that it was very
painful for him to admit that others were
better than him.
“Dad, how do you feel about the
negotiation with Layman? We’re
merchants from Somerland, so they are
probably not willing to contact us.”
Kayden changed the subject and said.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon said flatly, ”
What’s wrong with merchants from
Somerland? We’re still merchants at the
end of the day. We are merchants first,
and Somerland cum Harbor City
merchants second.
“Layman can’t even save themselves
now, and that’s why they are even willing
to contact the Laws. Why wouldn’t they
contact us, who are more free and open?
Everyone in the world knows that the
Laws are true Somerland merchants with
government connections.
“Hmph, on the surface, that old fart from the Laws played beautifully with Jasper in the subprime market, but he’s secretly trying to acquire Layman Investment Bank. If this deal is completed, the glory o of the Laws will continue for at least another 50 years.”
Kayden sneered, “No matter how nicely
they played this, we still found out about i
t. After all, Henry is a disappointment and
leaked such important news.”
“We’re bound to get Layman. If we can acquire the world’s fourth-largest investment bank, we will have a foundation in the West. This foundation is enough to allow us to have the capital to negotiate terms with Somerland’s officials. Then, we can revitalize those projects Jasper trapped in the mainland
with his dirty tricks.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon’s eyes
twinkled with excitement. He said, “Once
we succeed, then this will be the largest M &A case of the 20th century. It will be of great help to our corporate transformational multinational consortium. Therefore, we can only succeed we can’t fail!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1817
As Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son talked, the convoy entered the underground parking lot of the Layman Investment Bank Headquarters on Wall Street.
Meanwhile, at an outdoor cafe across the street, Henry and Conrad put down the newspapers they used to hide themselves and smiled at each other.
‘Well done. You said that they would come today, and I didn’t believe it. It seems that you’re right.” Henry gave Conrad a thumbs up and praised him.
Conrad chuckled and said, “The J. Langdons are not in a good state now and i t can be said that they can’t even go home even if they have one. Since they have deviated from Somerland, they must show their value in the West and integrate themselves with their interests. Once they receive news that Layman Investment Bank is on sale, they will behave more eagerly than anyone else.
“Sprinkling in a few specious facts, the
news that the Laws also intends to acquire
Layman makes them even more unable to
sit still.”
“Do you think Layman will give them the
same terms as they gave us? 70 billion
dollars? Are they not ashamed to even say
this out loud?”
Henry recalled when Layman quoted. them the price. They were about to go bankrupt and yet were still so arrogant. In addition to that, they even asked for such an astronomical price. Even if this was just play-pretend and the Laws would never actually acquire Layman, the other party’s attitude truly pissed Young Master Law off.
“They won’t.”
Conrad narrowed his eyes slightly and said, “In the eyes of the United States, Half-the-Harbor Langdon is more reliable than the Laws. Behind the Laws is the Somerland government and everyone knows this, but Half-the-Harbor Langdon is a businessman through and through. He doesn’t care about national
interests or the country’s interests at all. He only cares about his own interests.
“Layman needs this kind of character right now.
“So, Layman’s offer to them should be
much more sincere, but there may be
other more restrictive clauses among
them which I can’t think of right now.”
At this moment, in the chairman’s office o
In the top floor of Layman Investment
Bank.
“Mr. Dugg, thank you for meeting us. I
think we will have a very pleasant
meeting.”
There was a meek smile that was exclusive to people from Somerland on Half-the-Harbor Langdon’s face as he greeted Dugg, who had an evident look of exhaustion on his face.
In the past few days, Dugg was sick with worry about selling Layman. He looked at the J. Langdon father-son duo in front of him with a very gentle smile on his face.
“Of course, You are my distinguished guests, so of course we will have a very pleasant meeting.”
After the three were seated, Dugg said straightforwardly, “As you know, I’m not a person who likes to beat around the bush, so I’ll just get straight to the point.
“Currently, Layman is caught in a crisis. T o tide over this, we have to seek external funds to help us overcome this difficulty, but the amount of funds needed will be huge.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon said lightly, “W e came with the utmost sincerity, so Mr. Dugg, you can directly put forward your terms.”
“First, we need at least 48 billion US Dollars, and it must be given via cash injection.”
After Dugg mentioned his first condition, the expression on Half-the-Harbor Langdon’s face did not change much. It seemed that he was prepared for this.
Dugg secretly gritted his teeth when he saw this. How rich were these damn
Somerland people? They did not even blink at the mention of 48 billion US Dollars.
“Second, we need to retain more than half of the seats on the board of directors, which means that the operating rights must remain in the hands of our people in the United States.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1818
Half-the-Harbor Langdon smiled and said, “Is there a third condition?”
Dugg nodded and said, “There is one more thing. You must provide an insurance contract to all small and medium-sized banks that cooperate with Layman Investment Bank to ensure that they can survive this subprime mortgage crisis.”
The third condition made Half-the Harbor Langdon frown slightly, which was also the first time there was any change in his expression.
Soon, after making sure that Dugg did not have any more conditions, Half-the Harbor Langdon spoke.
However, he did not directly oppose these conditions. Instead, he said, “I want to know what I can get after meeting your requirements.”
Dugg immediately replied, “40% of
Layman Investment Bank.”
“That’s it?” Half-the-Harbor Langdon asked.
“Of course. Didn’t you come because of Layman Investment Bank? Even at 40%, you are already the largest single shareholder, and you can declare that you own Layman Investment Bank,” Dugg said.
“Mr. Dugg, first of all, you have to understand that if I take out so much money, what I want is to control Layman Investment Bank. Therefore, if I’m only going to less than 51% of shares, then we can end the discussion now.
“Secondly, the seats on the board of directors can only be divided according to the distribution of equity, but I can personally assure you that after the success of this merger, you will still be chairman so you and your team will not face the risk of being laid off.
“As for the provision of insurance
contracts for small and medium-sized
banks, I’m sorry, I don’t think I can agree
to this because it is too risky.”
Dugg frowned slightly because he could
sense the unreasonableness of the old
Somerland man in front of him..
“Since there won’t be a discussion, let’s
stop here today. I still have a few guests to
see. We’ll talk when we reconsider each
other’s bottom lines,” Dugg directly
hinted at them that it was time to leave.
It was impossible to succeed in
negotiations of this scale in one day, and i
It was not surprising for it to last for a year
or more. Even though Layman could not
wait that long, it was okay for them to
wait a few more days.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon obviously
knew this too. He got up and said, ”
Alright, I look forward to our next
meeting.”
After sending the father -son duo to the
door, Dugg shrugged and said, “If you can
provide us with that much capital, we can
solve the issue regarding the shares
easily. However, the problem is that there
is no room for compromise on the
insurance contract. Layman Investment.
Bank will also participate in this
insurance contract, so you can rest assured on this aspect.
“But of course, if you really don’t want to, it doesn’t matter. However, this is our bottom line and I hope you understand it.”
After the two parties bid farewell, Half-the -Harbor Langdon took Kayden to the parking lot.
As soon as they got into the car, Half-the Harbor Langdon said, “There is something problematic in this matter, and it is a big one.”
Kayden was shocked when he heard those words, so he subconsciously asked, “Dad, are you talking about the insurance contract? But didn’t Dugg say that Layman Investment Bank would also participate in that?”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon shook his head and said, “I just have this hunch, but I’m not sure. However, what I can be sure of is that since Layman is so insistent on the contract, they might not be the one asking for it.
Life at the Top Chapter 1819
“Dad, should I contact the spy I placed among the Laws to see what the Laws said?”
After Half-the-Harbor Langdon asked that, Kayden also felt that something was not quite right, so he proposed this.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon said after he nodded, “If something goes wrong in such a big matter, we will go bankrupt instantly. It won’t hurt to be too careful, s o we must use all available resources to make things clear.”
“Okay, I’ll do it right away.”
After Kayden finished speaking, he picked up his phone and sent a text message.
More than ten minutes later, he received a reply.
Kayden frowned as soon as he saw the contents of the message.
“How is it?” Half-the-Harbor Langdon asked.
Kayden said, “Their conditions are the same as ours and Dugg’s request to them i s much higher than ours. 70 billion US Dollars. The Laws are still negotiating with Dugg.
“70 billion.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon sneered and said, “These United States punks are really crazy about money. How could the Laws agree?”
“Dad, the spy says that the Laws is seriously considering this proposal. They’re thinking that they’ll lower the price to 40 billion before they sign. Moreover, the Laws are not the only ones behind this acquisition, and it seems that there is a powerful force behind them while the Laws are just representative in the negotiation.”
Kayden’s words made Half-the-Harbor
Langdon frown.
“A very powerful force? Is it Jasper again?”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon was a little irritable.
He felt that Jasper was everywhere, and that he would see Jasper wherever he
went.
“It’s very likely.”
Kayden said, “When I was still chummy with Jasper before, I heard him mention that he intends to start a banking business in Somerland. If he really has such an idea, it would be best to acquire Layman, who is on the verge of bankruptcy.
“Moreover, I suspect that JW Capital is not the only one behind this, but the power of the entire Somerland capital. Jasper can’t dominate this huge market himself, and what Jasper is best at is extending the market and allowing others to come in. By then, he will reap the most benefits. Even though he divided the remaining portion, he’ll be getting rid of his risks at the same time.
“Out of all the people I’ve seen, this guy is the only one who’s able to make superb artistic achievements in fundraising. He’ll make at least 15 billion in a 10 billion
market. After that, he’ll bring the others i In and he’ll devour 80% of the benefits while the others will get the remaining 20 %. At the same time, they share the same amount of risks as him, or even higher. What’s even more confusing is that others will still be grateful to him.”
Kayden shook his head as he spoke. He lamented, “He has gotten his reward, but at the same time, he didn’t lose his image. What a character indeed.”
“If this is the case, we must speed up the progress. We will completely lose the right to speak in the country once we lose Layman. At that time, we will have to immigrate to the west even if we don’t want to. However, the domestic market will certainly be the core market for world economic development in the future. If we lose at this stage, we’ll die a slow death.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon sounded very
To be honest, if he had anticipated the current situation, he would have never made such a choice.
He underestimated the determination of Swallow Capital and also underestimated Jasper’s cruelty.
Jasper unexpectedly forced Swallow Capital to directly freeze all his business i n the mainland because of his withdrawal, and Swallow Capital actually agreed.
Life at the Top Chapter 1820
Didn’t they know that once this kind of thing spread out, it would have a huge negative impact on foreign investment?
However, even though the negative impact on the mainland had been felt yet, the negative impact of this incident on him has been far-reaching.
For example, he could not go back to either the mainland or Harbor City.
“We will only have the capital to force Swallow Capital to compromise if we acquire Layman. They need our reputation and the benefits that the bank can bring. Once this benefit is greater than that which Jasper can offer, then Swallow Capital will immediately side with us. Make an appointment with Dugg. Tell him I will invite him to have tea tomorrow. afternoon.”
“Okay.” Kayden nodded heavily and said i n a deep voice.
Just as the Langdon father and son concluded their negotiations with Layman, the subprime market also officially closed for the day.
“The United States subprime market
crashed today. The entire first half of the
trading day was calm, and, due to various
positive factors, the market even regained
some of the points lost in the previous
trading day during the turbulence.
However, the moment the market opened
on the second half of the trading day,
there was a 22% flash crash. In the end,
the subprime market closed with a daily
drop of 38%.
“Not only did the United States stock
exchange market have the largest single
day decline, but due to the collapse of the
subprime market, United States stock and
futures markets fell across the board.
“According to our financial analysts’
calculations, more than 130,000 accounts
of the United States investors were
liquidated in just one day, and the
evaporation of wealth reached an
appalling 400 billion US Dollars.
“Through economic observations, we can
now basically determine that this
economic crisis caused by excessive credit
in the United States real estate market has
taken shape. As for what serious
consequences it will cause, how severe the United States’ economic losses will be, and what impact the economic crisis that occurred in the United States will have on the global economy, let’s welcome the chief commentator…”
Outside the command room in Nauritus City Trading Center, everyone cheered thunderously at this moment.
Everyone was celebrating the brilliant results achieved today.
After all, they had successfully triggered this economic crisis and dealt a heavy blow to the United States economy both in theory and in practice.
In other words, they had achieved their basic purpose. This was something none of them dared t
o think about before.
No one dared to imagine that they would actually cut a piece of meat off the financial empire that was the United States.
However, inside the command room,
Jasper did not look very relaxed.
“The United States government and the
Federal Reserve’s response was too flat.”
Jasper threw the news reported by the
United States financial media today on the
table and said, “This is all about how
serious this economic crisis will be, and
how the major consortium and capitals on
Wall Street are saving themselves.
However, there is very little news about
the Federal Reserve and the government.
“Could they be thinking about what to do?
After all, whether it is the Federal Reserve
or the United States government, the
bigger the institution, the bigger the
power. They will not be able to make any
decisions in such a short window,” the
little prince said.
“This is possible.”
Jasper continued, “But in any case, it
doesn’t make sense that they didn’t even
make a single announcement. Even after
market confidence has collapsed, they are
still staying silent. Are they planning to
let this economic crisis erupt and develop
without restrictions?”
“That’s enough.”
Lord Alvarado shook his legs and said in a very good mood, “Say, can you be a little more optimistic? You’re worrying too much. This shows that they have run out o f options, so they can only let it be. The money lost doesn’t belong to them anyway, so they’ll just do whatever their boss says.
“Furthermore, you said that the economic crisis has officially started, so what can they do? If it can be prevented, they would have prevented it long ago. Since it can’t b e prevented and they’re unable to stop it, they’ll just think of other tricks.”
As soon as he said this, Jasper was stunned.