America: My Time

Chapter 419 Laying Out Standard Chartered
Chapter 419 Laying Out Standard Chartered
Although the situation in Russia is not very good, the Russian leadership is not short of money, and their lifestyle is extremely luxurious. Therefore, with this barter trade channel, even the sales of luxury brands of the Forever Group are guaranteed. Although it is not a formal sales channel, it still generates good profits.

Are they envious? Of course they are. Many European luxury brands are envious of such transactions, but they don't have the channels to do so. It's impossible for them to complete these transactions themselves because such transactions are the most primitive form of barter. They simply don't have the sales channels, so no matter how much they envy them, there's nothing they can do.

Where did John go with all that money? The profits from Asia went to Japan, invested in Japanese real estate and the acquisition of Standard Chartered shares. The profits from Europe were used for expansion, acquiring luxury brands, wineries, and Standard Chartered shares. Otherwise, how could John have acquired so many Standard Chartered shares so quietly without attracting attention? Wall Street keeps a close eye on John's funds; large-scale investment flows can't be hidden from them. Many people know John is transferring funds to Europe, but they don't know his detailed plans and operations, let alone what his secret scheme is!
Standard Chartered Bank was only part of the plan; another part was the preparation for financial investments. The Plaza Accord was coming soon, so how could John not take it seriously and not be prepared? This would require a lot of funds.

Many people were making their moves, and John was no exception. As time went on and the Plaza Accord drew closer, many wondered what John was planning. Why hadn't much of Nvidia's IPO proceeds stayed in the US, instead flowing into Asia and the UK, as if he had some grand scheme in mind? But there was no sign of anything happening—no acquisitions, no big moves—which puzzled those on Wall Street.

Many people are now waiting for John's move, but none of them have noticed anything. It's not that John hasn't taken action, but rather that his overt forces haven't made a move. His covert funds have already entered the market. The moment of dollar devaluation is fast approaching, and these funds have already entered the game. However, because they are dispersed, they have not been noticed by anyone. He has completed his plan without alarming anyone.

In neon-lit Tokyo, John began his expansion in Asia. By this time, Europe had been completed, and Hurricane Investment in the United States had also begun to gradually enter the market. Now was the time to kill two birds with one stone and take a ruthless blow against Standard Chartered and HSBC.

"Tianfan, how many Standard Chartered shares does Pacific Investment currently hold?"

"It's less than 10%, but we've already received several warnings from Standard Chartered. It seems they're worried that if we want to acquire more shares, we'll have to face resistance from Standard Chartered."

"It seems they've noticed something. Well, since we've aroused their suspicion, let's put it aside for now. From now on, Pacific Investment will go all out to short the US dollar. If Standard Chartered and HSBC are willing to join in, we'll take all their orders. We're openly shorting the US dollar now, and we're also increasing our long positions in the Japanese yen. Japan's economy is developing rapidly, and the yen has the potential to appreciate significantly. We can't let this opportunity to make money slip by."

While John was talking to Yuan Tianfan, investment companies in Japan entered the Japanese financial market to go long on the Japanese yen. At this time, all of John's liquid funds in Japan were invested in this long position.

As action began in Asia, Hurricane Investments in the US also sprang into action, along with Chengxin Bank and East West Bank, all shorting the dollar. Hurricane Investments' move shocked Wall Street. Should they follow suit? This was insane! Although the US economy wasn't doing too well, the dollar had been appreciating, yet Hurricane Investments was shorting it. While they hesitated, Hurricane Investments had already completed its deployment, and Chengxin Bank and East West Bank had also finished theirs. At this point, many people wanted to talk to John, wanting to hear his thoughts, especially those on Wall Street.

Just as everyone was preparing to hold a party to invite John out for a talk, they were surprised to find that John was no longer in the United States and had gone to Japan. This left many people dumbfounded and confused as to what this little fox John was up to, choosing to leave the United States and go to Japan at this time. Could it be that Hurricane Investment's actions were not his intention, but Hurricane Investment's own decision, and that this little fox John was completely unaware of it?
Unfortunately, these guys' indecisiveness prevented them from following the hurricane investment for a while. Moreover, not only were they hesitant, but all their Wall Street peers thought it was a crazy decision, believing that the dollar could not possibly depreciate.

Not only Wall Street held this view, but the entire global financial industry and major banks did not believe that the dollar would depreciate. It was precisely because everyone had this idea that when Pacific Investment shorted the dollar, Standard Chartered and HSBC followed suit. They all thought this was an opportunity to severely damage Pacific Investment and teach John a lesson. Unfortunately, they did not realize how foolish and ridiculous their idea was. They had unknowingly fallen into John's trap.

Was the pressure immense? Naturally, although John had considerable experience, he still harbored many anxieties in the face of such a massive financial upheaval. This was precisely why John chose to leave the United States—he feared he wouldn't withstand the pressure, that the Wall Street giants would see through his scheme, and that his plans would be jeopardized. "If I could, I really wouldn't want to bear this pressure, but unfortunately, this is the best opportunity!" Even with beautiful women by his side, as long as the Plaza Accord hadn't materialized, John felt a heavy weight pressing down on him. This wasn't just a plunder of the financial markets; it was a strategic move against Standard Chartered, a fatal blow to both Standard Chartered and HSBC.

For such national affairs and financial plans, the White House dared not leak any information to the crocodiles of Wall Street, because one careless move could trigger a financial storm, subject them to endless infamy, and even plunge the entire United States into turmoil. No one dared to take such a risk!
"Boss, the finance ministers of the five countries are signing an agreement, the dollar devaluation has begun, we bet right!" When the phone rang from New York, John's eyes lit up; the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

"Hahaha, great! We've won this battle! We'll close our positions as soon as the dollar depreciates to our target value!"

At this moment, John was laughing heartily. The pressure in his heart vanished instantly. The time to reap the rewards was coming. He believed that the guys on Wall Street would go crazy for this. They would all regret not following Hurricane Investment's short-selling of the dollar. In the next few months, the dollar's decline was a foregone conclusion, and the yen's appreciation would also increase rapidly.

John was overjoyed, while Wall Street was filled with sighs. Although they were also speeding up their actions, they were all filled with regret. If they had known that such a turn of events would occur, they should have followed Hurricane Investment's short-selling move earlier. But now it was all too late, and they could only watch helplessly as Hurricane Investment took away the huge profits.

"Jimmy, it seems we all underestimated John, that little fox. He truly saw through the White House's decisions, while we financial elites failed to. We knew about Hurricane Investment's actions but didn't follow up. Now, even if we have any gains, they won't be much. John's foresight is terrifying."

"Yes, their vision and ability are terrifying. Even if an ordinary person has such vision, it would be difficult to have enough execution ability and determination. This time, Hurricane Investment used a hundred times leverage, and their orders have all been completed. They will have amazing gains next. Those banks that took over Hurricane Investment's short orders are in big trouble. This time, Lehman Brothers will pay a considerable price. They have quite a few orders in hand."

"Foolish Lehman Brothers, they've lost their minds, putting personal grudges above the company's interests, blindly opposing Hurricane Investment and John. Now look what's happened, they've created such a huge loophole, they're in for it. What about Morgan? At this time, Morgan was also taking action, but without much gain."

"The situation is not ideal. Although we received a warning from the White House two hours in advance, there was not enough time and we didn't gain much. Now that such big news has come out, even fewer people will be willing to get involved. Our income is nothing compared to John's. Moreover, John's actions this time are not just about hurricane investments. He has also shorted a lot in Asia and gone long on the yen, which is the case in Japan."

"Now no one doubts this little fox's judgment. Lehman Brothers is likely to pay a heavy price. It's unknown when Hurricane Investment will liquidate its positions. Perhaps Lehman Brothers will ask the White House for help again to persuade John to give them a way out. If Hurricane Investment attacks Lehman Brothers again at this time, their situation will be dangerous. If they are not careful, Lehman Brothers will collapse directly. This time they will pay a heavy price for their previous actions."

"Yes, ever since Lehman Brothers had their conflict with John, they've been acting on emotion, insisting on standing against John. This time they're in big trouble. It's just a matter of whether the White House will step in and talk to that little fox John again, and whether John will give the White House any face. After all, this is a rare opportunity. If John is willing to make a move, perhaps they'll have a chance to take down Lehman Brothers!"

(End of this chapter)