America: My Time

Chapter 1099 Barings Bank
Chapter 1089 Barings Bank
When John finished talking with his grandfather, his grandmother introduced Ms. Chang Li, a visitor from the Central Academy of Drama. After the introduction, John understood that what Ms. Chang Li and his grandmother were talking about was an invitation to explore Japanese musicals!
John wasn't familiar with musicals, so he naturally wouldn't offer any advice, and besides, he wasn't interested in paying attention to such matters; he was focused on the financial market. However, John was aware of the reputations of the Shiki Theatre Company and the Takarazuka Revue in Japan. He knew that the Shiki Theatre Company had become legendary, a mythical force that had turned musicals into an industry. It was after this visit that the Central Academy of Drama opened a musical theatre talent training program in September.

“Ms. Chang, I’m not qualified to offer advice. I personally don’t know much about musicals and can’t help you. Hollywood is primarily commercial; they focus on developing commercial films and pursuing profits. They don’t study musicals. Legendary Entertainment and Paramount Pictures have almost abandoned art films, so they have little experience in this area. However, I can donate a few pianos, since musicals still need them. I can also help make connections in Japan. The Shiki Theatre Company isn’t related to them, but they do have some connection with Takarazuka. As for other aspects, everything else will be arranged.” John remembered that the Shiki Theatre Company in Japan had donated three pianos to help the Central Academy of Drama cultivate musical talent, and John wanted to do his part. Besides, it wasn’t a big deal for him; he could easily arrange everything!
What are art films? Legendary Entertainment, Phoenix Media, and Paramount Pictures are almost all unwilling to get involved because they are too niche. Businesses pursue profits, not art. Especially after John Woo took control of Universal and Paramount, they focused entirely on commercial films, completely ignoring the clamor of the Academy and drifting further and further away from the Oscars.

John's decision to become a tyrant in Hollywood angered many who pursued art, but he didn't care about outside opinions. So-called art had little room to survive in Hollywood; the Hollywood giants only cared about profits, box office and related industries.

Disappointed? No, the Central Academy of Drama is well aware of the situation in Hollywood, and naturally knows the three major Hollywood studios very well. The three major studios and four smaller studios, as well as the seven major studios, are all primarily commercial. Moreover, the three major studios have unanimously abandoned art films and opted for commercial blockbusters. This was caused by John. After all, the concepts of Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures are highly recognized by other Hollywood giants, but they cannot be as crazy as Phoenix Media and Legendary Entertainment.

However, the situation in Japan is not good right now. The Great Hanshin Earthquake has dealt them a heavy blow, and the Nikkei index is still plummeting. This plunge has directly sent Barings Bank into bankruptcy. Barings Bank, which originally had a total value of only $8.6 million, has now lost more than $10 billion.

On February 27, Barings Bank, one of the world's oldest banks, collapsed, triggering a series of dramatic fluctuations in financial sectors across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The entire global financial market was severely impacted; the pound sterling fell to its lowest level against the mark in nearly two years in Tokyo, and the London stock market also experienced a sharp decline. The New York Dow Jones Industrial Average was also affected, falling by 29 percentage points.

In this frenzied upheaval, Hurricane Investments and Standard Chartered Bank reaped enormous profits, their previously unclear strategies now becoming crystal clear. However, this was just the beginning. Hurricane Investments and Standard Chartered Bank did not relax their efforts; they remained closely monitoring Mexico. A few days later, the Mexican stock index had plummeted to 1500 points, a cumulative drop of 47.94% from its pre-financial crisis peak of 2881.17 points—a decline exceeding that of the Mexican peso.

The final cleanup was what Hurricane Investments and Standard Chartered Bank needed to accomplish quickly. At this point, the US and the International Monetary Fund were also about to enter the market. To rescue Mexico, the US-led aid program offered $500 billion! John didn't want this influx of funds to ruin his returns.

With the conclusion of Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank, the North American situation has come to an end. Although John made a fortune during the Nikkei crash in Japan, few people knew that Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank were still seen as targeting Russia. After getting away unscathed, John breathed a sigh of relief.

However, now is not the time to relax completely. The strategy against the yen is not yet finished, and we need to continue to monitor it. Just then, another alarming piece of information came from Japan: the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack had occurred. Although John had warned those guys in Japan, no one took it seriously, and now this terrible thing has still happened.

When Hurricane Investment exited, the guys on Wall Street all knew. Now they're all envious, knowing that John, that little fox, has made a fortune during this economic crisis—a few billion dollars, though not the exact figures. After all, John had been planning this for a long time. For example, his investment in Mexico alone was a premeditated and targeted move; otherwise, he wouldn't have directly borrowed pesos.

At this time, a strange rumor emerged on Wall Street: the White House had just plotted against John, but in the blink of an eye, this little fox John had reaped such a huge reward. Now, some people on Wall Street were saying that the more the White House suppressed and targeted John, the more he would gain. The White House's suppression was the best guiding light.

Who is sabotaging the White House and President John? This isn't John's doing; it's the work of the Israelis, orchestrated by some oil tycoons. They're trying to worsen the relationship between the White House and John, and since John isn't in the US, there's more room for maneuver. Smart people immediately realize this is another attempt by someone targeting John. The first thought is oil capital; few would suspect John, as it doesn't make sense, and he's always kept a low profile—why would he do something like this?

Oily Capital naturally didn't want to take the blame, as this wasn't their doing. But even if they explained, it wouldn't make a difference, since they had a criminal record. And even if it wasn't them, it was probably done by the Oily people, or by Selie, since they had the deepest grudge against John, making them the most likely suspect.

John learned of the news immediately, but he had no intention of explaining; this was something that couldn't be explained. Many people thought of the oil tycoon, but John thought of Seligman, that unscrupulous guy who had no bottom line; for them, there was nothing they wouldn't do.

Of course, John also had a suspicion that it was a joint effort between Oil Pacific Capital and Israel, or rather, that Israel made the first move and Oil Pacific Capital fanned the flames behind the scenes to escalate the situation so that he couldn't pay attention to their affairs. After all, Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investments now control huge amounts of funds, and these guys were worried that John would interfere with the copper price issue and ruin their plans, so they planned to escalate the conflict between John and the White House.

John understood, but he wasn't about to expose them. Moreover, Barings Bank's bankruptcy presented another opportunity—an opportunity to increase his influence in Britain. Hurricane Investments offered one pound to acquire Barings Bank, and the news quickly spread across Wall Street and throughout the financial world.

The news of Hurricane Investment's acquisition of Barings Bank for one pound sterling had a huge impact on many people. If Hurricane Investment succeeded, its strength would be directly enhanced, and if John were to manipulate the restructuring, there would be further changes, a situation that many people did not want to see.

Although Barings Bank is shrouded in mystery, John doesn't care about the issues behind those mysteries. He's focused on taking the initiative and getting everything he wants. Whatever problems lie behind the scenes are irrelevant to him. Acquiring the assets he desires with minimal investment is enough.

Of course, John knew this move would make those guys on Wall Street uneasy, and that was exactly what he was thinking. He might not act in the US, but he could act in Europe, completing the acquisition in other countries outside the US. Barings Bank had always been John's target. Now that the opportunity had presented itself, he naturally wanted to seize it.

John didn't know, nor did he care, whether someone would try to sabotage it. If someone did, it might explain the mysteries surrounding Barings Bank. However, the possibility was extremely small, practically nonexistent; no one would be foolish enough to jump in at this time. If someone did try, John would oblige, since he wasn't necessarily after the acquisition.

This acquisition, while an opportunity he had been waiting for, was also a test to see how many people would stand against him, how many would compete with him for Barings Bank, or more accurately, how many would try to stop his expansion. Only by doing so could he see the 'enemies' hidden in the shadows!
Will those hidden enemies not notice John's probing? What will they do? Will they snipe him, or will they tacitly condone it and pretend they know nothing? John doesn't know what those guys are thinking, but he believes that everything will be resolved soon. Whether his 'enemies' dare to step forward is crucial!

(End of this chapter)