1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 761 Something happened!
"Borrow money?"

"Vic, do you still need to borrow money?"

Peter was somewhat surprised to hear Li Changhe's words.

Victor is known for having a lot of money. He must have made at least several hundred million US dollars from the foreign exchange boom in Hong Kong last year. Why would he need to borrow money now?

Li Changhe shook his head: "There's no way around it, we don't have enough money. I just finished communicating with Standard Chartered Bank and we're preparing to acquire them. We need some funds."

“I can certainly afford this money, but it would affect my future investment plans, so I want to borrow money from you to complete the acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank.”

Peter nodded upon hearing Li Changhe's words.

"So, Vic, how much do you want to borrow?"

Since Li Changhe gave his reasons, Peter had no reason not to lend him the money. The Rothschild family was in the banking business, and this kind of lending business was normal for them.

Li Changhe thought for a moment, then said to Peter, "What I mean is, the more the better."

"Peter, I can use my shares in Château Latour and brands like Vacheron Constantin and Dior as collateral. What's the maximum amount you can lend me?"

"My idea is that it should be no less than two billion US dollars!"

"Two billion dollars?"

Peter was somewhat shocked to hear Li Changhe's words.

"Such a large loan is difficult for Rothschild Bank alone to provide. If you have sufficient collateral, I can bring together several European banks to jointly lend to you!"

“But Vic, what do you need so much loan for? Loan interest rates aren’t low these days, so taking out such a large loan is actually not worthwhile.”

Bank loan interest rates in Europe are generally high nowadays. Although they are not as exaggerated as the 20% rates of two years ago, most major banks now charge more than 10%.

"If I borrow for five years, could you lower the interest rate for me?"

Li Changhe then pondered and asked.

"If the family operates together, we can get you an overall interest rate of seven to eight percent. This requires coordinating with banks in different countries, since banks in different European countries offer different interest rates."

"Interest rates in the UK are currently as high as 12%, but in France they are around 10%. In smaller countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, some rates are higher, while others are lower."

"So you need the family's help to consolidate things, but Vic, what do you plan to do with such a large sum of money?"

Karl then spoke up.

Two billion US dollars is neither a lot nor a small amount. If it is a loan for a real enterprise to invest in production or purchase equipment, the approval process is very easy.

However, for a financial expert, this thing can be much more dangerous.

After all, the Rothschilds' stronghold is in Europe, so there are some things he has to be wary of.

Li Changhe didn't hide anything.

"Actually, it's not a big deal. I plan to invest this money in the foreign exchange market, the same old way, to speculate in foreign exchange."

It is now July 1984, a year before the Plaza Accord. Once the Plaza Accord is signed, it will not only cause the yen, pound, franc, and German mark to soar, but also their exchange rates to skyrocket.

Li Changhe remembered that the mark appreciated the most, almost doubling, just like the yen. The franc appreciated the second most, around 70 or 80 percent. The pound sterling appreciated the least, though Li Changhe forgot the exact figures.

Li Changhe came here this time hoping to leverage the financial power of the Rothschilds to make a fortune in Europe.

This way, we won't have to exploit Japan alone.

"Foreign exchange trading? Vic, do you think there will be changes in the European foreign exchange market?"

Peter looked at Li Changhe in surprise.

Li Changhe looked at Peter and then said seriously, "Peter, I consider you friends, which is why I'm telling you this today. Once you leave this door, I won't acknowledge you anymore."

"Actually, given the Rothschild family's influence, they should have some information. The US dollar has been on a strong upward trend in the past two years, and its exchange rate with the British pound has changed from 2 to 1 in the 1980s to 1.335 to 1 now. This is not a good thing for the US economy."

A stronger dollar is essentially an appreciation, which is a huge blow to US exports.

The United States is still an industrialized nation, not the hollow financial nation it would become in the future. Therefore, an excessively high dollar exchange rate and a sharp drop in exports are not good for the US economy.

"You mean the US will intervene in the exchange rate? As far as I know, they seem to be discussing this with Japan right now, but that doesn't really concern Europe, does it?"

Peter said hesitantly.

Li Changhe smiled. These days, Europeans don't really feel the need to be at the dinner table.

In fact, the Americans pulled off a brilliant deception in the Plaza Accord; to put it simply, they lied to both sides.

Tell the Japanese that Europe has agreed to coordinate exchange rates with me, so please agree quickly.

Then, they turned around and told the European countries that Japan had agreed to coordinate the exchange rate with them, so they shouldn't hesitate.

He persuaded both sides, and finally got them to agree.

That's why the five countries—the United States, Britain, France, West Germany, and Japan—signed the agreement.

However, as everyone knows, the current situation is that the US and Japan are in negotiations, while Europe is still observing.

“Peter, you’re also in finance, so you should know that the dollar’s ​​international circulation status and the strengthening of its exchange rate cannot be influenced by Japan alone.”

"Similarly, if the US dollar wants to depreciate globally, it cannot bypass currencies such as the British pound, French franc, and German mark, and it cannot be accomplished by the US and Japan alone."

"I don't know how the Americans will handle Europe and Japan, but I think several European countries will definitely get involved in the dollar exchange rate issue. After all, if the dollar really collapses, it won't actually benefit any European countries."

"From the current perspective, the US dollar is already a globally circulating currency, so the problems with the US dollar not only affect the United States itself, but also have a profound impact on Europe and the world."

"This is my own judgment, so I want to take a gamble. The Rothschild family should also have its own connections in the US financial world. I think you can also pay attention to this."

Li Changhe didn't mind putting forward this viewpoint and letting Peter and his team gather information to confirm it. In fact, such predictions are not uncommon in the financial world; it's just a matter of who has the more accurate final interpretation.

After listening, Peter and Carl fell into deep thought. Li Changhe's opinion had some merit, but it was only a certainty; after all, the core decision-making power regarding national exchange rates still rested with the politicians.

These financiers might have some influence, but they couldn't completely control the situation. So Peter believed the information Li Changhe gave them, but he wouldn't believe it entirely.

However, after learning what Li Changhe intended to do with the loan, Peter didn't mind lending Li Changhe the money.

“Vic, I can do my best to help you with the loan. As for the foreign exchange, we'll look into it in the US. We can share resources in this area.”

In this kind of thing, it's better to be safe than sorry. If things really turn out as Li Changhe said, and all countries have to adjust their exchange rates, then whoever gets involved first will have a huge advantage.

After all, there aren't an unlimited number of foreign exchange currencies on the market. Once things are settled, international financial speculators will definitely flock in. At that time, those who enter the market first will reap the rewards, while those who enter later will only get scraps or even be left holding the bag.

Therefore, Peter must take seriously the judgment of a financial genius like Li Changhe.

"Of course, but Peter, could you help me secure a $600 million loan first? I plan to use that money to acquire Standard Chartered Bank."

Li Changhe then said with a smile.

Carl then chimed in, "That's easy. I can help you coordinate in England, but are you sure you want US dollars?"

"Yes, six hundred million dollars is enough. As for the timeframe, I think five years is feasible."

It's 1984 now. If it's a five-year term, we can not only make a fortune in Europe, but also make another fortune in Japan after 1987, and enjoy the stock market and interest rate dividends. At that time, Li Changhe thinks that, putting aside everything else, we can at least make enough money to buy a car company.

“Okay, Peter and I can make the decision to lend you this money. As for the rest, we'll help you contact other banks in Europe and jointly provide you with loans.”

"However, it may take a little longer."

Li Changhe nodded: "No problem."

Once the core business was settled, the rest of the time was simply for eating, drinking, and having fun.

That evening, Li Changhe declined the invitation to stay overnight at Karl's castle and returned to Garden Street instead.

No matter how rich the history of these castles is, in terms of comfort, they are far inferior to modern mansions.

Li Changhe had no interest in living there.

Back at his mansion on Garden Street, Li Changhe first took a bath in his study.

London in July isn't hot, but it's very humid, and it's uncomfortable to stay outdoors for too long.

Lying in the enormous bathroom, which resembled a hot spring, Li Changhe closed his eyes and fell into deep thought.

Borrowing money from the Luo family wasn't just about Li Changhe trying to make some foreign exchange, nor was it about him trying to curry favor with the Luo family. More importantly, Li Changhe wanted to use this flow of funds to help Standard Chartered strengthen its relationship with European banks.

A bank is essentially a network. The strength of a bank's business is closely related to the area that its network can reach, especially in the era before the full explosion of the internet.

It's impossible for a single bank to have branches all over the world, so the best model is still strong alliances and cooperation.

However, relying on internal bank initiatives for such financial cooperation is very slow. After all, customer data, especially that of high-quality customers, is confidential, and banks of different sizes are not on equal footing when it comes to negotiating cooperation.

Now that Li Changhe has taken over Standard Chartered, he naturally needs to push forward these initiatives for Standard Chartered. In the United States, there is Chase Manhattan Bank in the East and Bank of America and Wells Fargo in the West, which is enough to support Standard Chartered's business expansion in the United States.

Meanwhile, in Europe, Li Changhe chose the Luo family as his banking partner, hoping to gradually penetrate the Jewish banking sector in Europe through the Luo family. This was Li Changhe's intention.

After all, in Europe, the Jewish people were far less powerful than the Anglo-Saxons, and anti-Semitism was an old tradition in Europe, a deeply ingrained ideology.

Before the rise of the internet, European Jews and American Jews were relatively divided, with some cooperation but not very close cooperation, due to differences in spatial distance and cooperation efficiency.

However, when Democrat Richard Lopez came to power, it coincided with the internet boom, and the spatial distance and industrial center of gravity shifted from the ground to the virtual internet.

European Jews became closely united with American Jews, gradually forming the powerful Jewish capital that followed.

Li Changhe is now betting on both sides, but currently, he is betting on Jews in Europe and on WASP in the United States, which is the so-called "white-Anglo-Protestant capitalism" in later generations.

Although the Rockefeller family were of German descent, not Anglo-Saxon descent, they were white and Protestant. The Anglo-Saxons were a branch of the Germanic people; otherwise, the Anglo-Germans wouldn't have been related by marriage in the early days.

That's fine too. If the Democrats come to power in the US in the future, they can simply exert influence through Europe.

Li Changhe didn't stay in London for long. After meeting with some of the shareholders of Standard Chartered and signing an agreement, he left the rest to his assistant.

Neither side was in a hurry to make it public, given that Hong Kong's return to China was imminent, and both sides were waiting for the final negotiation statement in September before announcing the transaction.

So, like Wheelock, Li Changhe also chose to hold the Standard Chartered deal in 1985.

Having settled all that, Li Changhe returned to Hong Kong Island from London in August.

With the final announcement imminent, Li Changhe will undoubtedly need to return to Hong Kong Island to oversee things.

Throughout August, Li Changhe stayed on Hong Kong Island, on the one hand arranging and handling various matters of his companies, and on the other hand, at this critical juncture, he was stationed on Hong Kong Island to oversee operations.

At this moment, newspapers on the market are almost always reporting news and inside stories. When Li Changhe saw the newspapers, he knew that there must be a mole inside.

After all, Bao Yugang was involved in the negotiations throughout, and sometimes when they came back, they would share some details. Li Changhe knew that someone must have leaked the inside information in these messages.

At the end of August, Li Changhe suddenly received a phone call. The caller was none other than Lin Yuan.

This time, Lin Yuan didn't arrange to meet him openly at the club, but instead met him in a room at the Macau Entertainment Center.

Li Changhe arrived at Macau Island without making a sound, and then saw Lin Yuan in the room with his brows furrowed.

"What's wrong? Why are you looking for me so secretly?"

Li Changhe looked at Lin Yuan and asked seriously.

According to their plan, Li Changhe was supposed to reduce the number of times he met with Lin Yuan during the negotiations between the two sides. Unexpectedly, Lin Yuan suddenly contacted him today.

"Vic, something's happened. You won't be able to come home for National Day!"

(End of this chapter)