Chapter 489: Chapter 489: Financial Cannon's Ammunition Loaded
The situation had turned around, and Nine Dragons Animation Co., Ltd. finally had a chance to breathe. However, Ma Tengdong did not relax because he knew that such opportunities were rare and needed to be seized and fully developed.
Unfortunately, from the outside perspective, Nine Dragons Animation Co., Ltd. seemed to be stuck in a vortex with an uncertain future. Therefore, Ma Tengdong's progress in acquiring Nishinome Publishing was bogged down in the quagmire. Unless the crisis was resolved, the acquisition could not be completed.
Consequently, Ma Tengdong could only focus his energy on Man Ke Zhi Jia, working tirelessly day and night to follow up on the store openings.
Amidst the public opinion vortex, every move of Nine Dragons Animation Co., Ltd. was under the spotlight. Many were astonished to see that despite the turmoil, Nine Dragons Animation was boldly opening new stores.
Some even began to change their stance quietly after some contemplation, believing that Nine Dragons Animation Co., Ltd. must have confidence to act this way, so were Ichi Bridge Group's claims false?
The direction of public opinion became even more confusing.
However, despite the confusion in public opinion, the direct effect of the battle with Ichi Bridge Group continued to manifest.
As public opinion remained at a boiling point and involved prominent publishers like Shueisha, Shogakukan, and Hakusensha, it aroused widespread curiosity among readers. They wanted to know who was so influential, what exactly was published in Zhiyin Manke, and what the original four manga from Shueisha were.
As a result, amidst the uproar, Zhiyin Manke's sales surged dramatically. In the new week, Zhiyin Manke sold a rare 1.96 million copies, a nearly 600,000-copy increase, far surpassing the fifth-place Hana to Yume and fourth-place Weekly Manga Action, with only a gap of less than 100,000 copies from the third place.
This achievement made Ma Tengdong grin widely, marveling at the remarkable effect of riding the wave of public opinion. The attention of the entire nation was more effective than any advertisement.
When Ichi Bridge Group's people, like Sakurai Kōhei, saw the latest rankings, their faces turned grim.
The situation had escalated, and their troubles had inadvertently helped Zhiyin Manke. They felt as though they had swallowed a fly, and unfortunately, the situation had spiraled beyond their control. Despite their attempts to use underhanded tactics, the effects were minimal.
After receiving a discreet warning from the Japanese government, Ichi Bridge Group dared not resort to extreme measures. Minor tactics would be of little use, so they could only hasten their patent applications, confident that once the patents were secured, Nine Dragons Animation would not be able to turn things around.
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Meanwhile, the establishment of Nine Dragons Securities' Japan branch progressed rapidly. Having prepared in advance, Wang Qi, accompanied by key personnel, quickly completed the setup of the company.
In Nine Dragons Securities' Japan branch office, Xia Yu sat in the boss's chair, quietly reviewing the information Wang Qi had gathered about Ichi Bridge Group.
Ichi Bridge Group was currently the leader in Japan's publishing and manga industry, and thus, its market value had the halo of being a leader, with a much higher price-to-earnings ratio compared to the industry's second place, the Otowa Group.
At this moment, Ichi Bridge Group's market value was 81.2 billion yen, but due to the turmoil in public opinion, its stock price was experiencing severe fluctuations.
When Ichi Bridge Group dominated the public opinion earlier, its stock price had surged to 84 billion yen. However, after Ma Tengdong held a press conference and public opinion shifted, Ichi Bridge Group's stock price fell back to slightly above 81 billion yen.
Despite this drop, there was no immediate downward trend. The latest issue of the three major manga magazines had not decreased in sales and even showed a slight increase, while other publishing businesses were less affected by public opinion.
Thus, before the truth was fully revealed, Ichi Bridge Group's market value would fluctuate but not significantly drop.
"What are your thoughts?"
Xia Yu closed the documents and asked Wang Qi, who was sitting opposite him.
Wang Qi replied without hesitation, "I plan to short-sell Ichi Bridge Group! This is too good an opportunity to waste, and we can give Ichi Bridge Group a lesson they'll never forget!"
Xia Yu smiled and nodded in agreement, "Alright, you handle it."
"Is the funding prepared?"
Xia Yu casually asked.
"It's ready. To avoid exposure, we haven't used the original forex trading funds. Additionally, we borrowed 3 billion yen from Mitsubishi Bank. The next step is to seek leverage from another bank," Wang Qi detailed.
Nine Dragons Securities and Galaxy Fund were Xia Yu's right and left hands. Recently, Nine Dragons Securities had been continuously raising funds, and the liquidity stood at over 500 million HKD.
Knowing that the Japanese forex market was profitable, they naturally did not want to miss out. After excluding the necessary funds and safety reserves for the company, they allocated 400 million HKD for forex trading.
At that time, they entered Japan with an exchange rate of 241. The USD/JPY exchange rate affected the Japanese stock market, but the impact was relatively minor.
During forex trading, they leveraged financial instruments by 40 to 50 times, and the amount was enormous. Since withdrawing it now would lead to greater losses in the future, Wang Qi thought of borrowing money to manage the situation.
Previously, they had engaged in leverage transactions with Mitsubishi Bank during forex trading, so Wang Qi easily secured a loan of 3 billion yen, equivalent to just over 10 million USD, which was not a large amount.
However, since the funds were borrowed from Mitsubishi Bank, further leveraging through Mitsubishi Bank would be too conspicuous. Therefore, Wang Qi planned to find another bank, which would be relatively safer.
Using 3 billion yen to short-sell a company with a market value of over 80 billion yen was overly ambitious! The risk was too high! Leveraging was necessary!
After listening, Xia Yu was silent for a moment and told Wang Qi, "Go to Sanwa Bank and ask Fukuhara Kazuya for ten times leverage."
Wang Qi was taken aback but did not ask further, nodding in agreement, "Okay!"
Xia Yu slightly nodded, not elaborating, as he had his own plans.
Sanwa Group was indeed a colossal entity, but it wasn't without opportunities. Fukuhara Kazuya was one such opportunity, though they had only met once.
This time, Xia Yu was setting out bait. As the saying goes, "First time a stranger, second time a friend," relationships are built over time. Once familiar, cooperation opportunities would emerge.
Now it was up to whether Fukuhara Kazuya would take the bait!
Later, Wang Qi went to Sanwa Bank. With his position as General Manager of Nine Dragons Securities, he easily met Fukuhara Kazuya.
"Mr. Wang, hello!"
"Mr. Fukuhara, pleasure to meet you!"
The two shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, then sat down and had tea.
"Mr. Wang, I wonder what brings you to see me?" Fukuhara Kazuya asked after taking a sip of tea, putting the cup down, and smiling, while pondering Wang Qi's intentions.
Fukuhara Kazuya had grown increasingly curious about Xia Yu. The information collected showed that Wang Qi was Xia Yu's right-hand man, managing Nine Dragons Securities, a high-level executive.
"Mr. Fukuhara, I am here on the suggestion of our chairman to explore potential cooperation opportunities," Wang Qi said with a faint smile.
Upon hearing that it was a suggestion from the chairman, Fukuhara Kazuya's eyes lit up, and he looked at Wang Qi with anticipation, "Please, go on!"
"Nine Dragons Securities is new here and needs a long-term partner bank. Originally, I had in mind Mitsubishi Bank, but our chairman mentioned that your bank is also excellent. I would like to know what kind of financial support your bank can offer to our company."
After speaking, Wang Qi picked up his tea cup and took a sip, while observing Fukuhara Kazuya's reaction out of the corner of his eye.
His words were precisely pitched, mentioning the chairman's suggestion to add weight, showing the authenticity of the cooperation, while also leaving room by hinting at Mitsubishi Bank to seek maximum benefits.
Choosing a long-term partner!
Fukuhara Kazuya's interest was piqued, and he carefully considered how to give a suitable response.
The primary, and most fundamental aspect of cooperation between a securities company and a bank was financial support.
Many securities companies and funds cooperated with Sanwa Bank in this regard, but Nine Dragons Securities needed special treatment, as its background and achievements were not to be underestimated.
After some thought, Fukuhara Kazuya looked at Wang Qi seriously and said, "Mr. Wang, I appreciate your company and your chairman's recognition of our bank. I will be straightforward and offer the greatest sincerity."
Wang Qi nodded, waiting for the details.
"With my authority, I can grant up to 30 times leverage for financial support, with a single transaction limit of 500 billion yen. I can offer your company the highest level of authorization!"
Fukuhara Kazuya said firmly.
Wang Qi, upon hearing this, couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise.
Wow, a single transaction can offer over 2 billion USD in leverage! It seems Fukuhara Kazuya is genuinely sincere! He directly gave the bottom line!
In that case, there was no need for further discussion!
Wang
Qi extended his hand with a smile, shaking hands firmly with Fukuhara Kazuya, "Pleasure to cooperate!"
"Pleasure to cooperate!"
After reaching a verbal agreement, their relationship became more amicable.
Wang Qi continued, "Mr. Fukuhara, since we've reached an agreement, I'll be straightforward."
"Our company does not require 30 times leverage from your bank. We have 3 billion yen in principal and hope your bank can provide ten times leverage."
"No problem, when do you need it?"
Fukuhara Kazuya answered without hesitation.
Wang Qi glanced at his watch and said, "There are three hours left before the end of the workday. Can it be done today?"
"Of course, I will arrange it immediately!"
"Great, thank you!"
After the agreement, Wang Qi used Sanwa Bank's phone to call the branch office, instructing the staff to bring the necessary materials. He then went to Mitsubishi Bank to transfer the 3 billion yen to Sanwa Bank's account as principal.
With Fukuhara Kazuya, the bank's deputy general manager, handling it, all procedures were promptly cooperated with.
Before the end of the workday, 27 billion yen was transferred from Sanwa Bank to Nine Dragons Securities' account.
With that, 30 billion yen in ammunition was ready!
After completing the task, Wang Qi took his leave. Fukuhara Kazuya warmly saw him off and waved goodbye.
Watching Wang Qi's car drive away, Fukuhara Kazuya reined in his smile and returned to the bank in a pleasant mood.
He then called the staff responsible for overseeing Nine Dragons Securities' leveraged accounts and gave serious instructions.
"Xia Yu is currently at Nine Dragons Securities. He should be managing the overall situation from behind the scenes. Now, we finally have a chance to see his methods. I wonder which company will be the target?"
"If it's really impressive, hehe…"
Thinking about the fund company he established with family funds, Fukuhara Kazuya couldn't help but look forward to it.
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