บท 335: Chapter 335: Fiddling while Rome burns
In September, America was still in the sweltering summer. However, no matter how high the temperature outside, it couldn't compare to the heat in the trading center.
"Sir, there's a clear sign that stock movements are increasing. The volatility over the past month has been too frequent."
"Yeah, it seems the peak this time was 2700 points. Unless something unexpected happens, it won't be reached in the short term." It was ironic; the day of the charity auction appeared to have been the peak.
"Sir, do we need to sell the remaining stocks?"
"Hmm, Coca-Cola isn't a problem; reduce our position by 30%. Let's short Walmart and Westinghouse completely."
"Got it, I'll take care of that right away. Luckily, there aren't too many."
"Don't worry, did you see the trading volume? Such a high volume with no corresponding increase means those institutions are up to no good."
Filson thought to himself: with such a large goal now, how could no one be paying attention? He decided it was best to handle it quickly.
Looking at the current state of things, it seemed this Christmas was doomed. The question remained -- how many people would still be around to witness that moment?
To William White, what Wall Street's bulls carried were nothing but piles of bones. Every stock market crash resulted in someone losing everything, and he couldn't understand why it was so hard to reduce investment exposure just a little bit.
They say the frog in boiling water doesn't know it's cooked; now that the water was boiling, why were they still swimming so happily? Could it be that the allure of money was truly terrifying?
...
"White Plaza? What's that about? Is he planning to become a real estate mogul?"
"Sir, this plan is enormous, or rather, bizarre. A global plan for a hundred White Plazas -- I really don't see the point of the hotel industry."
"Yeah, no wonder he's choosing to sell at this time. I believe that by the end of the year, many companies will be losing this shareholder."
From Morgan Stanley to Goldman Sachs, at this moment, nearly all the big players were mocking his plan.
Their wealthy overlord seemed a bit out of touch -- autos, semiconductors, hotels. Good grief, did he really have to branch out so wildly?
He'd already ventured into many industries before this. Did he really think he was invincible?
Whether he was invincible or not was hard to say; he had spent five months on the film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and it broke six hundred million dollars worldwide. At the very least, they weren't competition for him in the film business.
Regarding William White's recent moves, the investment banks didn't think highly of them. They believed this investment wouldn't find any bank willing to back it; their capital was too precious to squander on insanity.
The hotel industry? Ridiculous. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed unreliable. Young people really lacked experience; just a small setback led to this absurd investment decision.
But the kid was just too wealthy. If only he would share his money with me. Heh, I'd...
...
William White couldn't care less about what others thought. He silenced opinions from his think tank. What did these guys know?
Tch, what sort of places are these?
This guy was nuts; all these hotels were in Asia. Okay, Europe and Down Under were also in talks. But what about White Plaza in America?
None -- American hotels were far too numerous and didn't hold investment value.
Upon hearing this answer, the reporters were collectively baffled. Didn't he realize how outrageous that sounded? Would they imply that there was no investment value? All the money in the world was flowing into the U.S., and he had the audacity to say there was no value?
It had to be said, William White's investment direction was clearly unconventional. The U.S. economy had been growing at a slow pace these past few years, but that was just typical globally.
The truly scary thing was the large number of manufacturing businesses shutting down or relocating. Some companies were still operational but were barely hanging on.
At this moment, a significant amount of capital was flooding into the U.S. The Federal Reserve was also printing U.S. dollars day and night. Naturally, this created a crisis.
William White pursuing White Plaza was truly out of necessity; he needed to find an outlet for his funds.
If this guy was having such trouble, then what about the trillions in capital? What were they supposed to invest in?
Alright, it seemed like the securities market was becoming an option, or rather, the only option.
Thinking about Nastassja's neighbor, William White could only wish her luck. If the housing prices drop, you're done for; if stock prices drop, you're done for. There's no luck involved.
William White's investments once again bypassed the U.S., leaving many unsatisfied. Everyone knew about the hollowing out of American industries; the higher-ups were just choosing to ignore it, believing that perhaps something would spark in their high-tech sector, and everything would fall into place.
...
"William, you're really asking for it." The speaker sounded a bit mischievous when he said it.
"George, let's be honest. One day, I will take action in America; just not now. I just can't stand those fools -- I'll see what they can do about it." Bush Jr. was also at a loss for words; while everyone else's stocks were rising, Legendary World's shares were tanking. To say he wasn't frustrated would be unrealistic.
"Okay, okay, earning a bit less won't kill you. There's really no need to make things uncomfortable."
"Humph, if they dare try that again, I'll retire. When that time comes, I hope they can explain themselves." William White definitely wasn't just talking; he would actually do it.
...
The questions posed by Bush Jr. were clearly not just his concerns. It was evident that William White's strange actions were making some people uneasy.
"Dad, he roughly means this."
"Tch, looks like it really isn't a ruse."
"A ruse? They've already settled with two locations. If they move fast enough, construction will start next year. From what he said, everything will definitely begin next year."
"Really? Twelve large projects building at the same time?"
"There's no mistaking it; their team is already in place."
Bush Sr.'s eyelids twitched as he finally understood the scale of this project -- it was almost indescribable. If they really built a hundred locations, it would be a miracle.
As for the funding problem, William White's debt rate was incredibly low at this point. Moreover, he still held a lot of shares. With the market being so good, no one had seen him reduce his holdings.
Everyone knew he was wealthy, but why wasn't he investing in America?
Heh, the real issue was no longer whether to invest. The wealthy overlord might be moving out, and Bush Sr. believed that if this news spread, there would be trouble -- big trouble -- in America.
*****
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