America's Road to Wealth

Chapter 335 The Undeniable Smith
Anne Hathaway in this time and space is almost like the illegitimate daughter of the goddess of fortune in the eyes of many people.

When she was not well-known when she first debuted, a relative of a senior manager of CAA protected her.

Under the operation of Michael Levine, Annie was the heroine of a TV series as soon as she debuted.

Just this point is luckier than most actresses who have entered Hollywood.

The TV series she acted in later hit the street.

But she was more fortunate to meet Abel who had just arrived in New York not long ago.

Since then, her status in this circle.

It is destined to be looked up to, envied, jealous, and even hated by many Hollywood female practitioners.

Hate that they are not as lucky as Annie.

Like now, half of the more than 100 guests present are women.

This half of the women are basically Hollywood actors, celebrities, and singers.

These female wolves are staring at Abel, or staring at themselves
Annie felt the pressure.

Under this invisible pressure.

At this time, Annie's heart was already in Fake.

In her own heart, she kept cursing at these people in her heart.

If it weren't for his concern about his image in front of Abel, there would be a big boss like Murdoch present.

According to Annie's personality, right now, she even wanted to give this group of people the middle finger.

This is Anne's experience of being stared at by so many people.

As for Abel and Murdoch, of course the two of them will not feel any pressure because of this gaze.

The two are the core of this reception.

On the way in just now, Murdoch already knew the purpose of Abel's participation in his reception.

After entering the reception, the old guy pointed to the place where he stayed just now.

"Mr. William, they're over there."

Abel looked over and saw a few guys in suits and leather shoes, smiling and toasting to himself in response.

Abel also smiled at them, and he whispered to Murdoch:

"Then let's go. Rupert, it's your home game tonight. I'm sorry to disturb you."

Before the last News Corporation board meeting, Murdoch was very afraid of Abel.

Because at that time, when Abel was at his peak, he once held 5% of the shares of News Corporation.

It was the third largest shareholder of News Corporation at the time.

Abel himself is the boss of a media group, a well-known super financier, and a Wall Street giant.

Rupert Murdoch fears that Abel will usurp his control of News Corp.

At that time, of course he was very afraid of Abel.

But after the last board meeting, Abel sold all his shares in News Corporation to Murdoch.

Part of it was exchanged for cash, and part was exchanged for Murdoch's 98% property rights in Lanai.

After the deal is concluded, although the two parties are still competitors in terms of media.

But the personal relationship between the two has also begun to normalize.

Hearing what Abel said at this time, Murdoch of course smiled and said:
"I didn't bother. My contact with them is just the beginning. And you know, they usually come to me for this kind of thing."

"Ah~" Abel sighed, and said to him with a smile:
"It's not just them. I want to ask you now. Dear Rupert, Smith Capital or Pacific Commercial Bank also have the ability to underwrite and IPO. Would you like to consider letting me act as one of your dealers? You Rest assured, the commission and handling fee will be low enough.”

Murdoch held this reception tonight, and the main guests were those guys who just greeted Abel.

Their identities are five well-known large institutions on Wall Street, including the American Vanguard Group, Fidelity International Investment Fund, State Street Bank and Wellington Management Group.

Murdoch entertained these people because News Corp. was planning to split part of its business for an IPO in the United States.

An IPO is a stock listing, which requires dealers to underwrite News Corporation's stock.

When a part of Fox TV was previously listed, the relationship between Murdoch and several underwriters such as Goldman Sachs was not good.

This time, the more important News Corporation went public, Murdoch did not find several professional investment banks such as Goldman Sachs, but instead found these large investment institutions.

What Abel said just now was just a joke, saying that Smith Capital and Pacific Bank are also willing to be News Corporation's stock underwriters.

The two financial institutions of Abel have this qualification, and most of the Wall Street institutions have this qualification.

"No problem." Abel was more of a joke, but Murdoch said seriously: "How about 15%? Fees and commissions are the same as others."

Abel was startled, "Do you trust me? What if I bought all these stocks?"

"Then you are one of News Corporation's new shareholders."

Murdoch said confidently.

The Aussies have restructured the shareholding structure within the company.

This reorganization allowed Murdoch to control 100% of News Corporation.

At this time, if Abel buys shares again, Murdoch is no longer afraid of being seized.

Then handing over part of the stocks to Smith Capital for sale can also be mixed with personal favors.

Abel also shrugged and said with a smile: "Then I'll let David contact you."

No matter how small the mosquito legs are, they are still meat.News Corporation stock is very popular, even if it is only a part of 15%.

Smith Capital underwrites them, and at least can earn several million dollars in commissions.

Millions of dollars can already buy a nice mansion in a place like Malibu Beach.

The two whispered to each other and walked forward, at this time they were already in the middle of the reception.

Annie, who was holding Abel's arm, smiled like a lady. She looked gentle and beautiful at the moment, with a very elegant temperament.

But her beautiful eyes have always been full of lethality, her eyes are high above, as if she is looking down on the Wall Street she-wolves around her, advising them to take care of themselves and not be ignorant of their capabilities!

An invisible, invisible battle called [Abel Smith's offensive and defensive battle].

It has already started between Anne and the surrounding Hollywood she-wolves.

In this offensive and defensive battle.

Annie is the defender who has already occupied an absolutely dominant position.

These Hollywood she-wolves who all want to be Charlize Theron second, or covet the status of Anne and Jessica, want to replace them.

They are attackers who face difficulties and are not afraid of difficult challenges.

It's just that they haven't started to use their methods yet, and the battle hasn't started yet.

At this time, Murdoch is also there. If they appear on the stage, it is easy to attract the displeasure of the two media giants.

They are still choosing and waiting for the opportunity.

Abel didn't notice this, and what he cared about at the moment was the people from those investment institutions.

To be precise, it is the stock of a certain company that these guys hold.

So when he and Anne were led by Murdoch to these people.

After Murdoch introduced these people to the two of them one by one.

Annie was still using her gaze to repel the coveted gazes of the female wolves.

However, Abel asked the people from these institutions to have a private talk with them.

Faced with Abel's request, the management of several large Wall Street institutions hesitated.

In the end they all agreed.

Only then did Abel whisper to Annie: "You stay here for a while. I'll go and bring you a victory."

Before coming, Anne already knew what his purpose of attending this reception was.

Anne, whose appearance and temperament seem to be the combination of Audrey Hepburn and Juliet Roberts, said in a soft voice:

"Of course, you will always win, my favorite man!"

Annie squinted her beautiful eyes, looking at Abel's leaving back with some confusion.

She has always felt that the most distinctive thing about Abel is the calm and calm temperament brought about by his strong self-confidence.

She finds it very charming, adding the successes again and again as annotations, and it also infects others with invincible confidence in Abel.

Infected by this kind of confidence, Anne also felt that she was fully capable of guarding Abel's side on such an occasion as tonight!
After Abel and people from several major organizations left and went inside to discuss matters.

The well-behaved lady Anne Hathaway is full of aura, and she looks at the large number of Hollywood she-wolves around her.

As if to say-

"You guys, come on, use whatever tricks you can, I'm not afraid of you!!"

The place where Abel met with the senior management of the five major investment institutions was an open-air balcony on the second floor facing the scene of the reception.

That's pretty much what Michael Ovitz's set up looked like last year when Abe attended his first Hollywood reception.

The slightly larger mansions on the west coast seem to like this design.

Talking in this kind of place can guarantee a certain degree of privacy, and at the same time let people know that they have not left the reception.

On the balcony, only myself, the heads of the five major organizations, and Edward were left.

Abel confessed to these people why he had invited them up.

That is, on behalf of the Pacific Commercial Bank, Abel wants to acquire the shares of American Express held by these institutions!

".My entry will not change anything. American Express will continue to implement the original development strategy, while maintaining financial stability and a good capital return plan, invest more funds to develop the market, so as to increase future profits. Income, in order to better return the investment of shareholders.”

"I think this kind of thing is also something that all shareholders of American Express are willing to see and support."

The corner of Abel's mouth was raised, with a calm smile, he stretched out his fingers and drew a circle in the air, his eyes were bright and confident.

He looked at the helmsmen of several large institutions around him, drawing big pies to persuade, hoping to get the support of these major shareholders of American Express, so that he could easily seize the power of the board of directors of American Express.

Since last year, he has been wanting American Express, the only service company on the Dow Jones Industrial Index.

He invested a lot of money for this, and he did not hesitate to use the shares of Smith Capital to obtain a large number of shares of American Express from Buffett.

And in the primary market and the secondary market, it has been tirelessly acquiring shares of American Express.

But half a year has passed, so far, Abel still only holds 30.96% of the shares of American Express.

When Abel acquired Sempra Energy, the top executives of AmEx had the support of some shareholders, and the news about the triangle diagram revealed Abel’s intentions.

Many investors, as well as these big institutions, felt that he was determined to win Amex.

This has made the stock of American Express very strong in the stock market for the past six months.

Even the September [-]th disaster did not fall much.

Seeing this, Abel decided to have a showdown.

Don't pretend, I just want to buy it, and at the end I want to take charge of American Express and become its chairman!
Abel showed his ambition to acquire American Express, which made the five leaders of Fisher Asset Management Group, American Vanguard Group, Fidelity International Investment Fund, State Street Bank of the United States and Wellington Management Group ponder.

But I thought that Abe Smith had firmly obtained so many shares of American Express from Buffett before.

There are also follow-up acquisitions in the market, and they are somewhat relieved.

So many preparations have been made in the early stage, so it is understandable to want to become the owner of American Express.

After all, from many perspectives, many businesses of American Express are indeed very powerful supplements to Pacific Bank of Commerce.

Not to mention a merger, even if it is just cooperation, it is also very attractive to Pacific Commercial Bank.

"So, Mr. Smith, what is your offer?"

The CEO of State Street Bank was the first to ask.

They are investment institutions, and the pursuit of profit is the most important thing. If the short-term profit can be maximized, they will agree to Abel's quotation without hesitation and sell the shares of American Express.

As for whether American Express will change ownership, some shareholders are not happy, and these are not within their scope of consideration.

But what is certain is that the original senior executives of American Express can no longer control the future destiny of the company.

"$18, a 25% premium based on the stock price in recent days."

When Abe bought Amex last year, the stock was hovering around $13-$14.

In parallel time and space, its stock will drop to 8-9 dollars a share at this time.

However, because of Abel, major institutions and investors believe that it will increase in price.

This kept the stock of American Express from falling.

When the September [-]th crash plummeted, it actually held up.

It has been maintained at around 18-20 US dollars, and it cannot rise or fall.

These guys were just betting that Abe Smith would buy it.

The foreplay has been prepared for so long, with Abel Smith's character, it is impossible not to do it, right?
So Abel's first offer was not finished yet.

The CEOs of the five organizations present all smiled and shook their heads in unison.

This quotation was far from their psychological price, so they shook their heads without hesitation to express their intentions.

"$25."

Abel knew it would be like this, these guys are always so greedy.

He made a new offer, a second offer.

But these five guys seemed to have a tacit understanding, and after listening to it, they started shaking their heads again.

"cash payment."

Abel ignored the shaking of the heads of several people, and he did not intend to take all the shares in the hands of these big institutions.

As one of the most well-known institutional stocks in the United States, it is the only service company in the Dow Jones Industrial Index.

Wanting to control American Express as a sole proprietorship is actually similar to controlling Raytheon and other military giants.

Perhaps the latter is even simpler. As long as the latter obtains the consent of the military-industrial complex, it is very easy to obtain shares.

But for institutional stocks like American Express, unless you spend two or three times the money directly.

Otherwise, even if it can be acquired, it can only acquire its shares a little bit.

But Abel also believes that as long as he announces to the public that he will acquire the shares of American Express at a price of 25 US dollars a share.

Of the more than 1000 institutions that hold shares in American Express, many of them will definitely choose to sell.

As for the five major shareholders present, what Abel needs more is their support.

Support him to replace the board members with his own people, and eventually Abel will become the chairman of the board and take control of American Express.

Look at the CEOs of the five major organizations who are still unwilling to be satisfied.

Abel stopped talking about buying shares and threw out another temptation.

He smiled and said:
"Everyone knows. In recent years, the global economy has been sluggish. Last year, the Nasdaq bubble just happened, and this year there was September [-]. Now there is a war going on, and no one knows what the future will hold."

"At this time, I think the more cash you have on hand, the better it is obviously."

"Let's put it this way, gentlemen. If I can become the owner of American Express, how about I take all the profits of American Express for the next few years as dividends?"

In Abel's view, it seems impossible to directly acquire American Express.

The Triangle Chart news incident that time had exposed his intentions.

It was difficult for him to attack suddenly, and he took down Amex directly.

Under the advice of the Smith Intelligence Group, Abel decided to take a detour.

He intends to control American Express first, and let himself take charge of the company first.

And this will be a gradual process and cannot be accomplished overnight.

Because American Express, currently 65% ​​of the shares, is still in the hands of major institutions.

To a large extent, this is a very fatal trouble.

If he wanted to truly control American Express, Abel could only coax the group of major shareholders to figure it out.

As soon as Abel's proposal was uttered, the eyes of the five people present lit up slightly.

Then they looked at each other.

In fact, Abel has a headache for them, and these big organizations also feel a headache for Abel.

Abel now holds 30.96% of the shares of Amex. To be honest, they also know that there is no way to prevent the super rich Abel Smith from continuing to carry out the acquisition plan.

They originally just wanted to make a fortune.

Now Abe Smith hopes to buy AmEx with a small price.

So go to them and hope to get support.

If they refuse, it is conceivable that the smiling young man in front of him will not let it go.

Leaving aside his possible revenge in other areas.

It's just that in the matter of American Express, the five major institutions that do not have an advantage in holding shares are also very afraid of Abel.

At that time, once Abel, as the largest shareholder, successfully enters the board of directors of American Express and obtains the authority of the chairman.

The first ones to deal with may be their institutions.

Without much effort, a proposal that does not pay dividends for several years can kill them!
Can you stop it?

The five CEOs all saw helplessness and doubts in each other's eyes.

Then they all turned their eyes to Abel Smith, who was still calm and calm.

The main reason is that while this person is extremely rich, he also has influence on politics.

Not himself, but the bush family behind him.

If he is not in a hurry to acquire American Express, but slowly gets stuck like this.

How long AmEx's stock can last, no one really knows.

If this guy is ruthless and doesn't want American Express anymore.

It might even be a waste of money, and everyone will lose a lot of money first.

Now in front of these institutions, what they most want is of course Abel to double his shot, at least not less than $30.

But if Abel turned his face and left, it would be worth the loss.

The next best thing is to let Abel become the owner of Amex first, stabilize him first, and earn a little dividend first, which is not impossible.

After all, if he really wanted to come, everyone really couldn't refuse.

(End of this chapter)