Ch. 1841..1850
Life at the Top Chapter 1841
Many people could not grasp the concept o f 100 billion US Dollars.
Basically, in 2001, Somerland’s foreign exchange reserves totaled just over 210 billion US Dollars.
While the GDP was only 1.43 trillion US Dollars.
It was no exaggeration to say that the 100 billion US Dollars that Wall Street brought right now was completely capable of setting Somerland’s economy back 10 years.
“One more thing we have to understand is that this 100 billion US Dollars is just what we are aware of right now. Wall Street is backed by the United States government, so they can bring in more money at any time. When that happens, what should we do?”
Jasper’s words made Mr. Mason and Tony’s faces become more serious.
“Then tell me your opinion,” Mr. Mason said after a long time.
“A two-way battlefield,” Jasper replied unhesitatingly.
“What do you mean?” Tony asked.
“I have to focus most of Wall Street’s energy in the capital market of the United States. Fortunately, we have achieved results before, so this is relatively easy to do. We have to force them to invest more manpower, material, and financial resources in the United States to fight with the funds from JW Foundation. If not, their hometown is at risk of being ransacked.
“As for the domestic market…”
Jasper pondered for a moment and hesitated whether or not to continue.
According to the memory of his previous life, there were several big news and moves in the domestic stock market in2001.
In the case of the overall market, the government officially started the high pressure situation of key supervision this
year, and at the same time, they made more concessions toward the market for the listing of state-owned enterprises. More importantly, this year, the National Social Security Fund was approved to enter and operate in the stock market.
Naturally, there was no such thing in the current life, but a series of market stimulus measures had already been introduced.
Generally speaking, this year, the government wanted to rectify the financial market and make the financial market develop in a more orderly and healthy manner, followed by the introduction of favorable measures to stimulate economic growth.
Now, what Jasper had to do was to pre emptively propose the policies that were already going to come out, but he was not sure whether doing so would alarm the government.
After all, many of these policies were confidential right now, and according to the timeline, some of them might still be i n the drafting stage.
If Jasper came up with the plan at thistime, would the officials be unhappy eventhough they would enact this in the futureanyway?
Or he might make me the officials suspecthim of having underground sources forthis information.
This was not a good thing.
As if sensing Jasper’s hesitation, Mr.Mason solemnly said, “This is not aformal meeting, so just speak your mind. Iwill use the spirit and character of mypolitical party and principles to guaranteethat it will definitely not have anynegative impact on you.”
“Sigh, Mr. Mason, you’re too serious.”
Jasper sighed.
He knew that now was not the time tohide. As for whether there would be anyimpact in the future, he would worryabout it when the time came.
“My opinion is that the domestic market still needs to deal with this while relying o n the strength of the domestic market.
“No matter how rich the country is, it will never be wealthier than the total wealth of all its citizens. The stock market is a market that can make money. As long as this market is built up, social capital will flow in. Everything else aside, we will at least be able to devour the 100 billion from Wall Street.”
“Be specific.” Mr. Mason frowned.
“First, strengthen market supervision. Why are so many large retail investors or institutions willing to invest in Harbor stocks or foreign markets? It is because the domestic market believes that the traces of trading are too heavy and too simple. Various illegal operations are common, and they are breeding like flies.
“Investors will be unwilling to enter an unhealthy market because everyone is not playing the game with the same rules. The winner takes all while the ones with huge capital can devour all the small investors easily, which is very unreasonable.
“Therefore, the strengthening of financial market supervision and the introduction of high-pressure policies when necessary to deter the bad seeds with heavy penalties is a step that must be taken. Just look at the large foreign financial markets, they also went through similar periods. In this way, it will inevitably guide more private capital to come in and revitalize the water in this pond.
“Second, speed up the listing of state owned enterprises. Due to our special national conditions, the real giants of the real industries are state-owned enterprises, especially in certain monopolistic industries, such as petroleum, tobacco, and telecommunications The state-owned enterprises in these industries are good assets, and they do not need to worry about bankruptcy because of their monopoly status. Therefore, once they are listed, they will inevitably increase market enthusiasm.
“At the same time, listed state-owned enterprises must be bound by policies and must give the market a profit of at least 10 % of their total equity. Otherwise, the benefits will not be sufficient and fewer people will be enticed to invest.
“Third, promote the entry of the National Social Security Fund into the market.”
of these three suggestions, Jasper only mentioned the third one in part, and did not offer any further elaboration. However, everyone knew that the third one was the nuclear bomb.
“Social security fund!”
Tony took a sharp breath and said, Jasper, the social security fund is an important guarantee for the stability and order of our society. If something goes wrong with this fund, it will cause a huge mess and no one will be able to bear this responsibility.”
Jasper frowned. He knew that social security funds would definitely encounter huge resistance when entering the market, and the most important factor was the viewpoint of conservatives like Tony. They would be scared to take responsibility, so they would simply not act.
However, could this kind of mentality ever achieve great things? Hence, Jasper answered
unceremoniously, “Our ancestors used their flesh and blood to forge our current national fortune, and we’re backing down now?
“Inflation and currency devaluation are inevitable for a country’s economic development. As long as the economy is developing, the currency will inevitably depreciate, and their purchasing power will deteriorate. This has already begun to appear as our country’s economy starts to boom.
“Meanwhile, the social security fund is dead. If it is left there untouched, after ten, twenty, fifty years, its rate of depreciation and loss will eventually crash the market.
“So many foreign countries invest their social security funds. If you let it make money on its own, it will at least outpace the rate of inflation. This is the only fundamental way for a fund of this kind to last for a long time.
Tony still wanted to say something, but M r. Mason stood up and said excitedly, Yes, Jasper’s words went straight to my heart!”
Life at the Top Chapter 1842
Mr. Mason’s words made Tony, who originally wanted to scold Jasper for saying such outrageous things, shut up in an instant.
“Jasper, although you are an outsider, you see more clearly than a lot of the insiders.
“If you didn’t already control such large industries, and I couldn’t afford your salary right now, I would have liked to take you as my assistant.”
Mr. Mason’s words made Jasper laugh wryly.
Although this was an exaggerated joke, it also represented Mr. Mason’s appreciation of Jasper.
“I’m not afraid to tell you that there are many opinions and voices regarding the use of social security funds, but at the end of the day, they are divided into conservatives and radicals. I agree with you very much and I will definitely repeat every word you said in the meeting with Swallow Capital.”
Jasper said with a smile, “Actually, after I said so many things, I only have one core belief, and that is to launch the market’s own forces against external forces.
“Now that we are reforming and opening up, the economy is just at the stage of taking-off. The citizens won’t starve as they did in the past so as long as they can see that this is beneficial to the country and the people, I believe that it won’t only be Wall Street, as even we will be shocked by its power.”
Mr. Mason nodded thoughtfully and said, “Okay, I understand your opinion now, and I will bring them back to those in authority.”
“Please hurry.”
Jasper said earnestly, “We can’t wait.”
“I know.”
Mr. Mason nodded solemnly and said to Jasper, “We shall not wait and I will go back immediately. Don’t worry, I can promise you now that Swallow Capital will never allow any foreign power to incite trouble in the country. Besides, everyone can see the sacrifices of the people with knowledge and experience. The country and the people will not forget you guys.
The two of them shook hands again at the door. Then, they looked at each other but did not say a word. Everything was being said in the silence.
After bidding farewell to Mr. Mason and Tony, Jasper summoned Jake and Baz.
“From now on, Jake is mainly responsible for keeping watch of the United States market, and Baz, I will assign you a team. You are mainly responsible for keeping an eye on the domestic A-share market.”
It was only when he needed to assign tasks did he realize that he did not have enough people under him. Although Jasper had already begun to cultivate the talents working under him, at this time, h e still felt that there were too few people whom he could really use and trust.
In the face of the two-way combat, he had to split up the team, otherwise, there would be no one available to him.
Jake hesitated, “But if this is the case,
won’t we lack manpower on both sides?”
Jasper replied, “I know, but please bear with it. Right now we will face a shortage o f manpower, but we have a serious matter at hand, so we can’t allow a team who’s background we are unaware of to come in and help us.”
Jake nodded and replied, “You’re right.”
“Mr. Laine, what’s our main duty while watching the A-share market?” Baz asked.This was the first time he was leading a team project, so he was slightly excited
and anxious.
“Keep an eye on every single cent
belonging to the Wall Street capital.”
Jasper ordered.
“This is what I need you to do. Just keep a n eye on the Wall Street capital. I want to know their every move, and I need to
know everything from the number of accounts, their positions, and the direction of their funds.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1843
Baz froze for a moment and said, “But this needs data support from the Securities Regulatory Commission…”
“I will make arrangements in this regard and ask them to give you a data interface s o that you can monitor their capital positions at all the time.”
Under normal circumstances, it would be absolutely impossible to ask the Securities Regulatory Commission to help them cheat.
In market transactions, even the top professional team could not 100% guarantee that they would be able to perfectly capture the flow of funds in the other party’s account. After all, there would be no name written on a transaction in the market.
So, this required a powerful intelligence collection team to monitor all transaction data in the market, filter out those trading orders that were most likely to be from the other party’s account, and then determine the other party’s position and how many more positions they held.
However, right now it was a duel between two state’s capitals. So, needless to say, Jasper could get the full support of the Securities Regulatory Commission for this small convenience.
“Because of the time difference, the domestic market will open during the day and the United States market will open in the evening. So, for the next period, our work intensity will be very high. Please make appropriate arrangements and try t o ensure that the people in your teams have a sufficient amount of rest.”
Jasper rubbed his temples and said, “I will find a way to increase manpower, but you should not have too much hope. I can only say I will do my best.”
Jake and Baz looked at each other. Then, Jake said, “Mr. Laine, the most important thing is your physical condition. During this period, your sleep schedule has been messed up and you haven’t had much rest. If you collapse, we will be finished.”
With a wave of his hand, Jasper smiled and said, “I know myself best. There is nothing wrong with my health.”
Jasper stood up and stretched. Then, he continued, “There are still four hours before the United States market opens.
After the United States closes, the domestic market will open five hours later. Right now, everyone should leave
everything and rest while you still have time. I have a hunch that the people of the United States will not give us a chance to breathe.”
Right now, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
“Mr. Dugg, we agree to your terms. Half-the-Harbor Langdon pondered for a long time and finally said to Dugg fromacross the negotiating table.
The eyes of Dugg and his team lit up upon hearing that.
“But there is one thing I need to emphasize, that is, we must occupy the majority of Layman’s board of directors in the future.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon’s words were indisputable. “Otherwise, it would bemeaningless for me to spend such a large amount of money. I need to use Layman’s influence and assets to expand the family business and influence of the J. Langdons.”
“Sure.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon had already given in on the most critical core issues, such as funding and providing insurance services to small and medium-sized banks, and Dugg did not intend to pursue these trivial matters.
He was already planning to get out of this fire pit anyway.
Dugg, who had obtained the inside information from certain sources, understood that in the upper echelons of the United States, Layman had already become an abandoned chess piece, and this decision was made by the Freemasons. Hence, Dugg had no power t o resist.
He could only escape as soon as possible.
“Then, let’s sign it.”
Dugg asked his people to prepare the contract as he beamed. He was looking at Half-the-Harbor Langdon with an overwhelming friendliness in his eyes.
This guy from Somerland took the initiative to get into this sinkhole that the people of the United States could not get rid of. Therefore, why would he not have great affection for this man from Somerland who was helping him survive a t this most critical moment?
Life at the Top Chapter 1844
Now that the bigwigs on both sides had reached an agreement on the core conditions of the negotiation, the negotiation could be said to be successful.
There were bound to be many details in such a large merger that needed to be negotiated, but this would not longer affect the overall situation anymore.
Hence, the atmosphere that followed was very enthusiastic.
Both of their senior management teams immediately held a celebration party. They were holding wine glasses while chatting and laughing.
Kayden found his father, Half-the Harbor Langdon, after some socializing. Then, he said in a low voice, “Dad, is that i t?”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon said flatly, “W e can’t afford to delay it, and Layman also lost patience. If we still didn’t reach a deal this time, they were likely to have started contacting others.”
Kayden nodded and said, “That’s true.
The spy I planted next to Henry came back and told me that the Laws were ready to accept Layman’s terms.”
With a smile, Half-the-Harbor Langdon said, “This is the reason why there’s the rule of first come, first serve. While the
Laws were still hesitating, we have already taken over Layman.”
As he was saying of this, Half-the-Harbor Langdon patted Kayden on the shoulder and said, “This acquisition is basically a gamble using all our assets. Therefore, there must not be any slip-ups. By the way, has a deal been reached in terms of the funding?”
Kayden nodded solemnly and said, “It’s settled, we can mortage our assets in Harbor City and abroad with banks i various countries. After adding our own liquid funds, it’s enough to complete this acquisition.”
He let out a sigh of relief. Even a character like Half-the-Harbor Langdon was feeling a little excited at this moment. He
whispered, “This is the most important step for us to move from Harbor City out into the world. I will eventually prove to everyone that the stupidest thing they can do in business is to care for relationships and emotions.”
At this moment, Dugg came over with a wine glass in his hand.
“My friend, a toast to celebrate ?” Dugg lifted his glass at Half-the-Harbor Langdon and said with a smile.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon recomposed himself and clinked his glass with Dugg’s. Then they took a sip.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon smiled and said, “Mr. Dugg, I hope that after the acquisition is completed, you and your team can still stay in the investment bank. This is also the promise I made to you at the beginning.”
Dugg shook his head and said, “No, I changed my mind. I am tired and I have been working for so many years. I think I should spend some time with my family and children now.”
As soon as this statement came out, Half the Harbor Langdon’s eyes turned cold..
He was having mixed feelings.
He was happy that Dugg was willing to give up the position of chairman, but at the same time, he was worried that Dugg had given up too decisively and suddenly. The suspicious Half-the-Harbor Langdon wondered if there was any conspiracy behind this.
“Mr. Dugg, you are very familiar with the business and internal conditions of investment banking, so I need a veteran like you to help me navigate the investment banking business as soon as possible,” Half-the-Harbor Langdon said sincerely.
At least, his expression and tone of voice were very sincere, which did not seem odd to others.
However, Dugg laughed. He waved his hand and said, Langdon, you don’t have t o keep me. It’s not good for you if I continue to serve as chairman. As for my team, I’ll try my best to hide the news of me leaving until the end. It depends on you how many people you can retain. With their help, I believe you can also master investment banking within the shortest possible time.”
With a smile, Half-the-Harbor Langdon said half truthfully, “It’s a shame then, but I respect your choice.”
Dugg shrugged. Then, he said strangely, ” Langdon, trust me, you won’t regret this purchase.”
Half-the-Harbor Langdon laughed and said, “I think so too.”
They touched their wine glasses again, creating a crisp sound. However, they were the only ones who knew what they were thinking.
A few hours later, a shocking piece of news broke out from the global business community.
Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son from Harbor City in Somerland had successfully acquired Layman Investment Bank.
As a well-known Somerland merchant
company, Fongroup, had swallowed Layman Investment Bank, the world’s fourth largest investment bank, like a snake swallowing an elephant. This merger involving tens of billions of dollars had become the largest commercial merger in human history.
Moreover, it had occured in this special period when Somerland Capital and Wall Street Capital were fighting each other to death. This merger and acquisition case successfully attracted the attention of countless people.
Some people even thought that this was just a trial for Somerland capital to conduct sweeping acquisitions after the United States economy was destroyed.
The great citizen of the United States and the fourth largest investment bank in the world was actually acquired by a Somerland company.
This made countless racists in the United States feel terribly uncomfortable.
In addition to this, Jasper had just appeared on the cover of Times Magazine, and the appearance of Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son had made people
exclaim that Somerland capital was controlling the world.
However, no matter what the outside world said, the United States Ministry of Commerce still approved the acquisition.
Hence, this M&A case of the century was officially declared a success.
While the outside world was talking about this merger, Henry and Conrad were celebrating.
“Cheers!”
Henry laughed. Right now, he was blushing and was in a great mood.
“Not bad. The whole plan is proceeding as you said. Sure enough, there won’t be a problem if we go forward one stage at a time. The Half-the-Harbor Langdon father and son duo have entered the trap step by step, almost as if they had planned this alongside us.
“Before this, I was really worried that we would not be able to get out of this mess. I f Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son ran away, this plan that we worked so hard to set up would have failed. It would’ve been such an embarrassing situation.”
Conrad smiled and said, “Actually, they had no choice.
“They are different from big families with long histories, like the Laws. The latter have their own fortune which was accumulated over a period of nearly a hundred years. Meanwhile, the father and son duo emerged from Half-the-Harbor Langdon . Most of their industries are in the Harbor City, but Harbor City is too small in terms of area or population, which severely restricts the development o f Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son.
“This is not a problem that’s exclusive to them, big families like yours are also burdened by this. So, everyone has to seek development outside of Harbor City. But now the problem is that whether it’s Harbor City or the Mainland, Half-the Harbor Langdon and his son have already offended too many people to go back now.
“Thus, they can only set their sights overseas. On the surface, Layman Investment Bank seems fine, but they’re on
the verge of bankruptcy because of the subprime mortgage crisis. Yet, the world’s fourth-largest investment bank has the background and foundation that is enticing beyond measure, so of course, 1 they wouldn’t be able to resist taking this bait.
“Unfortunately…”
When Conrad said that, he shook his head and said flatly, “This is a bait laced with poison.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1845
Jasper knew the news that Half-the Harbor Langdon and his son finally succeeded in acquiring Layman Investment Bank before the financial media outlets did.
Looking at the television broadcast of the news by the host, Jasper smiled and turned to Wendy who was massaging his
shoulders behind him, and said, “Say, what are these people thinking? Are things abroad really better than in the country?”
Wendy pursed her lips and smiled. “I don’t know whether foreign things are better, but I haven’t seen you relax like
this in a long time.”
Jasper closed his eyes and sighed. Then, h e raised his hand to cover Wendy’s tender little hand and sighed ruefully, “I have no choice. There’s always one thing after another. I want to take a good rest too but the world changes, whether you want it to or not.
“I feel that the biggest reason I wanted to make money back then was that I don’t want to give up on the things I want to do simply because I don’t have enough money. I want to do anything I want.
“As a result, I am getting richer and richer now but why am I getting less and less freedom? This is no better than staying back in town and occasionally going to the stock market to casually earn people’s wages for several years. At that time, I was at ease and happy.”
Wendy thought for a while and suddenly said with interest, “Why don’t we go back to take a look at the scene there after this i s all over.”
“Okay.”
As soon as Jasper raised his hand, he pulled Wendy into his arms and onto his lap. Jasper chuckled softly as he felt the softness and sweet scent of the woman in his arms. “I have already decided. When this matter is over, I will plan a vacation for both of us. Then, it will be up to you where we go and what we do.”
“You’ve said this many times now, so you have to keep your promise.” Wendy raised her eyes to Jasper and said seriously.
“Definitely.” Jasper laughed.
A few hours later, the United States stock market officially opened.
Jasper walked into the command room full of energy and said to Jake, “Now that the Layman and Half-the-Harbor
Langdon’s acquisition is successful, don’t hesitate anymore. Set off the financial turmoil for me.”
The reason why they had been operating steadily and not taking advantage of the chaos before was that on the one hand, they were worried that Wall Street and the United States government would have a way of escape. On the other hand, they could not set off too big of a storm in case Layman went bankrupt instantly.
Now, the United States government and Wall Street capital had shown their escape route, and Layman was now in the
embrace of Half-the-Harbor Langdon, so naturally, Jasper would not hold back anymore. When Jake excitedly went back to execute the plan, Jasper approached Reuben, the person in charge of the palace guards,
“Let’s do it,” Jasper said.
Reuben did not hesitate, but he also did not appear too excited. Instead, he answered plainly with two words, “Got i
t.”
After putting down the phone, and without waiting for Jasper’s order, the huge display screen began to show the real
-time conditions of the major stock index markets in the United States.
There was also a window in which it displayed the exchange rate of the international dollar to gold. The entire financial market of the United States immediately gapped five minutes after the opening.
In the beginning, many people thought that this was just because of the stock market crash, which was why the market
fell naturally.
However, they soon discovered that the short-selling went far beyond their imagination.
All stock indexes were falling like crazy, including the Dow Jones and Nasdaq.
Moreover, this decline immediately radiated to the international exchange rate of the US Dollar.
The modern financial system was a complex and sophisticatedly engineered system.
A drop in a single link would trigger a series of chain reactions.
When it dropped to a certain level, it would cause turbulence in the exchange rate of the domestic currency.
The US Dollar, as the cornerstone of the world monetary system, had not fluctuated much in the past 100 years because its value was directly linked to gold.
Moreover, the US Dollar itself was the settlement currency selected by most countries and organizations in the world, and its circulation rate was also the highest in the world. Therefore, when its exchange rate fluctuated, it could instantly have a huge impact on the global economy.
Life at the Top Chapter 1846
This kind of fluctuation was not obvious a t the beginning, until…
“The US Dollar 20-year treasury bond has matured and there has been a lot of selling orders in the market!”
When the news reached Soros, he was taken aback.
“National debt? Someone shorted the United States national debt?”
The hair on Soros’ body stood up and he immediately pulled up the trading chart o f US Dollar treasury bonds.
As a wealth management product operating on national credit, treasury bonds also had a special market for trading.
It was very simple. If one used 100 US Dollars to buy the United States’ treasury bond, and the national debt was due in 10 years, the United States government promised to give them 120 US Dollars with principal and interest after maturity.
So, the interest rate in 10 years would be 20%. However, many people might not be able t o wait for the date of its redemption, so they could choose to sell the treasury bond at a lower price in the market.
There was a more esoteric economic
factor too, which was the fluctuation of the US Dollar exchange rate. Once the US Dollar depreciated, a large number of selling orders would appear in the market, which would cause the value of the United States treasury bond to depreciate rapidly.
Once the treasury bond depreciated, it meant the decline of the country’s credit.
This was a very serious matter.
“The subprime mortgage crisis broke out,
the domestic financial market plummeted, and the US Dollar depreciated, but at this time, they chose t o dump a large number of treasury bonds! They are blatantly sucking the United States’ blood!”
When Soros saw that the market had fallen by 5 percentage points, he was furious.
Immediately after, he seemed to have thought of something and immediately asked his men to pull up the international gold futures trading chart.
Indeed, just as he expected, gold was rising!
The US Dollar was depreciating while gold was appreciating!
This meant that the exchange rate between the US Dollar and gold would become larger and larger.
As an international settlement currency, this would put the dollar system into a dangerous situation and on the verge of collapse
Soros was so angry that his lips were trembling “JW Capital, damn JW Capital! Are they going to start a world war?” There was no time to think about it. Soros immediately asked to speak with Greenspaner, the chair of the Federal Reserve.
However, he was told that Mr. Greenspaner was negotiating with senior Washington officials.
He did not even need to think to know that this incident must have alarmed the highest authority of the United States
government.
Time passed slowly. With every passing second and minute, the domestic financial market in the United States was falling. A large number of investors who were trapped and unable to sell watched a s their accounts got liquidated.
The economic crisis brought about not only the evaporation of wealth, but also social unrest.
Racial rights issues, human rights issues, and wealth disparity that had always existed in the United States society were slowly unveiled under the intensifying subprime mortgage crisis.
At this moment, in the Nauritus City Command Center.
“Continue to sell US Dollar treasury
bonds. Make sure the exchange rate of US Dollar to gold falls by at least 0.8% before the market closes today.”
Standing in front of Jake, Jasper looked up at the massive amount of transaction data refreshing on the screen, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, “Totally enrage this group of capitalists. They will only panic if we hurt them enough. When that happens, it’ll be up to them whether they want to continue to target the domestic A shares market or defend the US Dollar system.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1847
Under the huge economic pressure, speed of response of the officials in Washington of the United States was amazing.
Just three hours after the opening, when the exchange rate of the US Dollar to gold had fallen by 0.3%, the United States
Department of the Treasury issued an announcement.
“Within the next 30 delivery cycles, the United States Federal Reserve Treasury will release more than 800 tons of
national reserve gold to stabilize the current US Dollar to gold exchange rate, which is currently experiencing huge
fluctuations.
“The overall interest rate of the 20-year treasury bond that is about to mature has been raised by 5%. “In the 30 trading days before the maturity of the treasury bond, the bonds will enter a blockade period and will not be tradeable.”
These three provisional bills made Jasper frown.
“The first and second ones are still normal economic control policies, but are they going to play dumb with the third one?”
Normally, countries would not use political power to influence the economy unless it was a last resort.
This was because it looked bad in terms of moral standing.
Who would dare to engage in your country’s financial market in the future if there was such a precedent?
Your government would throw out new policies at every turn and flip the table without abiding by the rules. Who would
dare to risk this?
However, Jasper obviously forced the United States government to desperate measures, so they started to shed all pretense of cordiality and had flipped the table.
“Mr. Laine, what shall we do now?” Jake asked “The road to the national debt is blocked, and a blockade order makes all operations impossible. Withdraw.”
Jasper looked at the Nasdaq Index. Then, h e pondered slightly and said, “Smash the Nasdaq by 2000 points today.”
“Understand.”
Jake received the order and promptly left.
JW Capital’s massive funds instantly withdrew from the treasury bond trading market and entered the Nasdaq stock
index.
The stock index of a stock market was calculated based on the proportion of a certain number of large stocks in the
trading stock market.
In other words, to short the stock index, what Jasper had to do was smash all these big stocks.
Such a thing would be impossible during normal times.
However, the collapse of the entire financial market brought about by the subprime mortgage crisis made the
impossible possible.
The first ones to bear the brunt of this were those listed companies that did not have physical industries and instead
specialized in finance.
These companies relied on sucking the blood of the financial market to survive. If the financial market thrived, they would
make a lot of money, but they would be the first to die in such a stock market crash.
The arrival of JW Capital was the straw that broke proverbial camel’s back.
The Nasdaq market, which was already in a huge decline, began to collapse immediately after JW Capital redirected
its spearhead.
There was almost no resistance. 60% of the stocks on the market plummeted, and 20% of them were directly blocked off the
list of decline.
This was a financial disaster that one could never imagine unless they experienced it first-hand.
Those stockholders who held the stocks of these companies wanted to sell, but the price was falling every minute and every second. There were only massive selling orders in the market but no buy orders.
Because of this, their sell orders could not be traded.
Hence, they could only watch the stock price fall.
Before eventually falling through the market.
Helensel Investment Company was a financial company that had gained fame o n Wall Street in recent years. It relied on a group of professional salesmen recommending junk bonds to investors who did not understand stocks to make a fortune.
For normal stocks, they could get a 2% commission after the transaction, but for those junk bonds that no one cared about,
the commission could reach 20%. With this crazy profit Helonsal had risen rapidly in just a few years, and its boss,
Caspian, had also relied on this company t o instantly become wealthy. He bought villas, luxury cars, and entered the upper class circle of the United States.
Not only him, but all of his salesmen had also made a fortune, and everyone has become a veritable Wall Street elite.
They wore constantly expensive suits, carried briefcases, computers, and a cup o f coffee in their hands. They lived more comfortably than 99% of people in the world.
However, after the stock market crash, all the stocks became junk bonds, so no one was willing to invest anymore and the company quickly encountered operational difficulties.
Caspian pledged all his property and planned to save the company, but today, his company was directly blocked on the declining list.
This meant that he had lost all of the assets in his company.
Meanwhile, he even had to shoulder huge debts. He went from a rich man who lived i na villa and would take helicopters to go out to a poor man facing bankruptcy.
Unable to accept the blow, Caspian walked up to the top of the office building. He wanted to end his life silently, but found that there were already people who were there with the same purpose as him on the roof f the building as well as on the roof of the building across the street.
Standing in the cold wind, these poor and bankrupt people who never knew each other looked at each other, and then each made the same choice…
Ending one’s life and issuing brutal layoffs had become the main theme of Wall Street.
The majority of the cars currently occupying Wall Street were not luxury cars like it had often been in the past, but instead, were replaced with ambulances.
Someone new would choose to end their life almost every hour.
Below those buildings, employees who had nothing left after being laid off numbly carried their personal belongings and walked out onto the road. They did not know what the future held, and they did not know whether they could find another job to pay off their monthly bills.
The entire financial market of the United
States was in a great dilemma.
Just as Wall Street fell into great despair, the Federal Reserve made another move.
This time, their actions were simple and brash.
“800 billion US Dollars rescue plan.”
The Federal Reserve began to enter the Nasdaq and Dow Jones New York trading markets with huge amounts of funds and began to rescue those listed companies that were on the brink of desperation.
This rescue plan, which was announced b y the chief executive of the United States i n a nationally televised speech, was like a booster to strengthen the United States’ financial market.
Then, the market of the three major exchanges miraculously stabilized.
“Mr. Laine, there is a lot of pressure on the bulls. It is not just the 800 billion US Dollars from the Federal Reserve, but some capital from other developed countries have also come in. They seem to plan to take advantage of the low stock prices to acquire some important companies in the United States.”
Jake’s words made Jasper frown.
“The harvesters are here.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1848
“We can’t let them enjoy themselves too much. What a joke. How much did we spend to create the current situation? Now they’re planning to harvest before it even reaches the climax?”
“Then shall we take a little action?” Jake asked excitedly.
Jasper said with a smile, “There is only one thing to do, and that is to buy Weresoft stock. We’ll go to the stock market to brazenly buy it.”
Jake thought for a while, and he seemed to understand. He immediately nodded and said, “Okay, I’ll do it right away.”
Currently, countless pairs of eyes were staring at JW Foundation’s every move, and confidentiality measures were pretty much useless.
Thus, when JW Foundation started buying Weresoft stock, the news could not be concealed, not that JW Foundation had any intention of concealing it anyway.
As the chairman of Weresoft, Granger, the world’s richest man on paper, received the report immediately.
“Mr. Granger, the current stock market plunge has seriously affected Weresoft’s market value. At this time, if a competitor wanted to buy Weresoft stock or even snatch the control of the company, we will be unable to reliate.”
In Weresoft’s investment department, Romney, the person in charge, reported to Granger.
“Our worries have become a reality. JW Foundation has begun to buy our stocks, s o we must take some measures to deal with this.”
Granger crossed his fingers below his chin. His iconic round-frame glasses made him look like an intellectual, but at this time Granger’s expression was gloomy and heavy.
“JW Foundation is under the umbrella of J W Capital, and JW Capital’s core industry i n Somerland is the Internet industry. It can be said that they are our peers. Them wanting to control Weresoft is very possible.”
Granger raised his eyes and looked at Romney. Then, he said, “Start the company’s stock repurchase program and compete with JW Foundation for Weresoft. stocks in the market. Weresoft’s control must never fall into the hands of some fella in Somerland.”
Weresoft, a global computer operating system company, was not only of commercial significance, but more importantly, had social, political, and military significance.
Imagine that in the modern age where everything was inseparable from the computer, the computer’s operating system belonged to someone else such that there was no privacy at all if they wanted to do something.
What Granger was worried about was not that Weresoft’s controlling rights would b e sidelined. What he was really worried about was that the JW Foundation would trigger crazy acquisitions by foreign capital outside the United States. If this triggered a chain reaction, it would cause a huge blow to the entire economic ecology of the United States.
Thinking of this, Granger dismissed Romney then immediately picked up the phone and called the Ministry of Commerce far away in Washington.
At this time, Jasper was not paying attention to Weresoft’s stock price at all.
He also did not look at how many Weresoft stocks he had acquired.
He knew very well that right now was not the time to acquire high-tech companies i in the United States.
The people of the United States had not yet subdued, and if they targetted the United States’ weak point at this time, they would only attract crazy revenge by the United States.
Jasper certainly did not care about the United States’ revenge. After all, he was now public enemy number one in eyes of the people in the United States, so he did. not want side issues to keep arising at this juncture.
What he had to do was to alert the United States government and use their hands to fend off other developed countries’
capitals like the United Kingdom to make them not act against evil to prevent harm t o innocents and also to make them not think about coming in right now to harvest the fruits.
Jasper was paying close attention to the three major stock index markets: Nasdaq, Dow Jones, and NYSE.
“The 800 billion US Dollar rescue plan is indeed very powerful. The Nasdaq has fallen by 870 points since its opening
today, but with the start of the rescue plan, there is great pressure to continue short selling.”
Jasper nodded at Jake’s words, knowing that the situation in front of him made it impossible to accomplish today’s goal of smashing the Nasdaq by 2000 points. 800 billion dollars was no joke.
One must know that the total funds raised by the entire JW Foundation up to now had not even reached this number..
When it was placed throughout financial market of the United States, which was on the verge of collapse, the 800 billion US Dollars was like rain during a long drought. The market needed this rain so much that even the main funds JW
Foundation would not even be able to. resist this huge force if it exploded.
“The listed companies with a large proportion of their stocks in the three major trading centers have received different amounts of funding. Their stock prices have begun to stabilize, and these large listed companies are basically the
leading stocks in their respective sectors. With them in the lead, individual stocks drive up the sector, the sector drives up the market, and now, the market is warming up again. This is the general trend right now.”
Jasper pondered a little and said, “What are the capital inflows and outflows of the three major trading centers today?”
The so-called concept of capital inflow and outflow was actually very simple. It
was basically how much money had flowed from outside the stock market into the stock market today, and how much
money flowed from the stock market to outside the stock market.
Whether it was a transaction of a few hundred dollars for small investors, or a transaction of tens of millions or billions o f dollars for large institutions, a basic rule had to be followed, which was that they needed to transfer funds to a securities account through a bank transfer. This was called inflow.
After the stocks were cleared and the funds were transferred from the securities account to the bank account, it was called outflow. The funds were still in the securities account. Selling one stock to buy another o r not doing anything could not be called a n inflow or outflow.
This data could depict the general situation of market confidence. Once the inflow was greater than the outflow, then i It would prove that the financial market. was optimistic about the funds. Once the outflow was greater than the inflow, then it indicated that foreign capital was aware of the risk and they were starting to run away.
“So far, the inflows of the NYSE and the Nasdaq Trading Center are basically the same as the outflows, except for Dow Jones, where the outflow is greater than the inflow by about 1 trillion US Dollars,” Jake reported.
Jasper knew this in his heart, and he nodded. He narrowed his eyes and looked at the three major trading centers on the screen. Then, he suddenly said, “Sell the real estate sector of the three major trading markets with everything you got and break the real estate industry of the United States.
“The disorderly development of the real estate industry that has gone on for more than a decade is the core factor behind this subprime mortgage crisis. At the same time, the United States has determined that land should be privatized, so an extra high property tax must be paid every year. Once the real. estate industry collapses and the value of the real estate depreciates significantly, it will undermine the financial security of the vast majority of the people of the United States. Our best choice at the moment is to let public opinion force the government to make compromises.”
Life at the Top Chapter 1849
Jasper’s decision was like a shiny knife as i t precisely pierced the most vulnerable joint in the United States’ financial
system. The United States real estate industry was fragile because of the subprime mortgage crisis, and now
I was faced with flood of funds from the JW Foundation. Hence, their stock price melted instantly like snow under the sun.
However, even as the real estate financial market in the United States was in turmoil, strangely enough, the 800 billion
US Dollars in aid from the Federal Reserve seemed to be turning a blind eye to it and did not care about the life and death of these real estate companies at all.
Thus, the Dow Jones Index suddenly reached a trading curb. All transactions stopped.
This was a defensive method to deal with
the violent market turbulence so that it
would not lead to an incalculable loss on
the market. Once the single-day increase or decrease exceeded the set ratio, the entire market would reach a trading curb and all trading would stop. After this, it would only resume on the second day.
This was the second trading curb in the financial sector of the United States this year, with both trading curbs being caused by Jasper.
However, instead of being happy, Jasper frowned and felt worried.
The United States government is using our hands to squeeze out the bubble in the
real estate industry.”
The United States government’s methods were not smart, and their purpose could b e seen at just a glance.
They were even doing it brazenly in front of Jasper to see whether he would take action or not.
Eventually, Jasper chose to take action.
It was because Jasper had to suppress the United States real estate industry to achieve the goal of catalyzing the entire
subprime mortgage crisis.
This was an overt plot.
It was open and brazen, but people had no choice but to make this choice. Those from the United States are so cruel.”
The moment they reached a trading curd, Jake came to Jasper’s side and sighed. “When I was an intern on Wall Street, 1
knew that they had a surgical mindset. Once they noticed that they had an unrecoverable weakness, they would use
someone else’s hand to squeeze out the pustule on their body. Although it would b e very painful, many problems could be resolved once and for all. I think they are doing this right now, so in a way we have become people who are operating on them.”
“Are they not scared that we will insert a scalpel into their heart?” Jasper asked insipidly.
With a wry smile, Jake said, “That’s the United States after all.” “Yes, that is the United States after all.”
Jasper sighed.
No matter how good the situation was right now and how much the outsidew orld was bragging about him, discussing
how he managed to defeat the United States, the most powerful capital country on the planet alone.
Jasper knew very well that this was just nonsense.
Until now, all Jasper had done was mildlyhurt the United States; He was far fromthe point where it hurt them to their
bones..
Moreover, this pain was due to the problem of the United States’ economic system and it was also the core of the
subprime mortgage crisis. They were the ones who caused the crisis while Jasper was only the one who picked out the
pustule for them. The longer he became entangled with the United States, the more Jasper could feel the power of this country.
Life at the Top Chapter 1850
To be honest, any other country would be i beaten to the ground under the rhythm and intensity of the JW Foundation’s
attack. However, the United States was still as steady as a rock.
“Do you know what is the scariest thing about the United States Bretton Woods system?” Jasper asked suddenly.
Jake immediately replied, “This system makes the US Dollar the basic settlement currency for global trade, so that no
matter how many bills the United States prints, people from all over the world will pay for them.”
“That is just one-side to it.”
Jasper sighed and continued, “The most terrifying thing about it is that it closely integrates the United States’ economy and finance with global finance. Before the collapse of this system, the United States’ financial collapse was equivalent to the global economic capital. If it collapses, whoever wants to destroy the United States economy must first face an
economic network covering the world Thus, the plan would fail unless that person could push the global economy. back 50 years.
“Who can do such a thing except for aliens? No matter which national power o r individual attacked them, they are engaging with the global economy, so it is impossible to do so. That is why, after World War II, no one can provoke the economic hegemony of the United States from the outside.
“And that includes us.”
Since World War II, the Sun Dollar, Harbor Dollar, Pound, Euro, and even the Somer Dollar have been sniped, but when have you heard of a lunatic attacking the U S Dollar?
The US Dollar could not be attacked. Because attacking the US Dollar was equivalent to attacking all currencies on
the planet at the same time. Jasper’s words caused Jake’s face to look gloomy.
“So, Mr. Laine, are we destined to not win from the very beginning?” Jasper smiled and patted Jake on the shoulder. He said, “It depends on how we define winning.
“If we define it as destroying the United States economy and causing the United. States to fall from the status of global economic hegemon, it is indeed impossible.
“But if we just want to stab this giant with a knife and make him bleed, then it is possible to slice a piece of flesh from it. We’re very close to this step.”
While talking, Jasper picked up a piece of information sent by the intelligence team and looked at Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son celebrating with Dugg while smiling brightly in the picture that was attached to the news article.
Jasper said, “When the market opens tomorrow, continue to short the subprime market and release all the remaining chips. Coupled with the continued trading curb of the real estate sector, these real estate companies will soon go bankrupt and personal loans will continue to default.
“Once the debt crisis affects the bank’sc apital operation, then my friends over there will experience the end of the
world.” Jake’s eyes lit up and he nodded heavily. Hie said, “I un derstand, I will do this a immediately after the market opens tomorrow.”
The backstab from Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son caused great harm to JW Foundation. If it were not for the
palace guards and Harbor City capital entering the market to turn the tide at the critical moment, it was likely that JW
Foundation would have been in dire straits.
Therefore, be it was Jake or others, they all hated Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son to the bone and they have long
wanted to teach them a painful lesson.
Now, the time for this big trap Jasper had set up to hurt them had finally come.
At this moment, Half-the-Harbor Langdon and his son were holding a press conference on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. This conference was jointly held by Fongroup and Layman Investment Bank ti o officially reveal the success of this merger to the world. Various financial media flocked from all over the world, crowding the press conference venue that could typically fit hundreds of people. Kayden had just arrived, and when he looked at this scene, his heart was filled with pride.
“Jasper, so what if you started so many things in the country and you got featured on the cover of Times Magazine. You’ve worked so hard to defeat Layman, but in the end, I’m the one who got the benefit. 1 In the end, you are still inferior to me.”