America: My Time

Chapter 420 Encirclement and Suppression
Chapter 420 Encirclement and Suppression
John had no intention of dealing with Lehman Brothers at this time, nor was it the right time. John's current target was Standard Chartered. When the Plaza Accord came out, Standard Chartered was stunned, HSBC was stunned, and they were plunged into a new crisis. Holding such a large number of short positions, how could they not be worried? If this news came out, their stock prices would inevitably plummet, and someone would have to step forward to take responsibility.

The thought of getting the Governor of Hong Kong to intercede on their behalf and for Pacific Investment to let them off the hook resurfaced in the minds of these two banking tycoons. But could they succeed this time? And would Pacific Investment actually grant them such a favor? Yuan Tianfan didn't have that kind of decision-making power. Now, they weren't facing Pacific Investment, but John, their enemy!

Although Standard Chartered and HSBC had been trying to cover up the damage the Plaza Accord had caused them, John would not let them off the hook. Soon, Asia Television took action, and not only the people of Hong Kong knew about Standard Chartered and HSBC, but the whole of Asia knew, because before the Plaza Accord, Hughes's communications satellite network had been successfully completed, and a global satellite communications network had emerged.

In just a few days, the US dollar exchange rate has fallen by 10 percent and is still falling with no sign of stopping. Many banks are now facing a crisis. The situation of HSBC and Standard Chartered has become known to global financial institutions. Soon, the stocks of the two banks plummeted. Many shareholders are now demanding an explanation. Most importantly, under these circumstances, shareholders are frantically selling their shares to protect themselves, causing the stock price to plummet.

At this moment, Yuan Tianfan appeared at Standard Chartered and demanded a board meeting to give them an explanation, because Pacific Investment is one of Standard Chartered's major shareholders, and now that the stock price has plummeted, someone has to step forward and take responsibility.

Is this a power grab? That's how many shareholders see it. Yuan Tianfan is trying to seize power, but it's unclear whether anyone supports him. Yuan Tianfan's move has made the whole of Hong Kong aware of the upheaval at Standard Chartered, causing even more people to feel uneasy. As a result, a large number of people are frantically selling their shares. At this point, Standard Chartered is facing internal problems, so how can they trust Standard Chartered? Even if Standard Chartered has a good reputation, no one dares to believe in it anymore!
"Yuan Tianfan, what do you mean by this? We are all trying our best to maintain Standard Chartered's stock price, but you are artificially creating a crisis. What are you trying to do? Are you trying to seize power?"

Faced with Standard Chartered's accusations, Yuan Tianfan smiled calmly and said, "I wouldn't presume to accuse you of usurping power. We just want an explanation. Someone has to take responsibility for this. If you can turn things around, we'll have no objections. If not, don't blame us. Also, I'm here to get a clear explanation and discuss the next steps. The bank has taken on so many short-selling orders; we can't just leave it all unresolved! You all need to act quickly. The longer it drags on, the more serious the consequences will be. The dollar has already fallen by 10%. If it falls any further, Standard Chartered will be severely damaged. As shareholders, we are unwilling to accept such losses!"

Although Yuan Tianfan's emergence dealt another heavy blow to Standard Chartered, it did not shake the British control of Standard Chartered. The shareholders did not side with Yuan Tianfan. On the contrary, they were hostile to Yuan Tianfan and Pacific Investment. Wasn't this a blatant demonstration against them, and a slap in the face?

However, Standard Chartered's share price is still falling, and the entire company is viewed negatively. No one believes that Standard Chartered can easily overcome its difficulties. After all, the internal situation of Standard Chartered has been exposed. With such huge losses, who wouldn't be terrified? Who wouldn't worry that Standard Chartered will fall into oblivion, especially given the problems that have arisen within the company itself?

HSBC's situation is slightly better than Standard Chartered's, but not by much. HSBC is also suffering huge losses and is now struggling to survive, let alone expand, because people are shorting their stocks. This is not only the case for HSBC, but also for Standard Chartered. And all of this was before the Plaza Accord.

Ruthless. John's methods are too ruthless. This short selling move came from Japan. Although HSBC and Standard Chartered also suspected that John was behind it, they were powerless to stop it from happening. They could only bite the bullet and fight back.

One bad news after another caused headaches for Standard Chartered and HSBC. Under these circumstances, the entire Hong Kong was shocked, and even everyone who was following this battle was shocked. This sudden change made them even more wary of the young John. It was clear that this was a well-prepared scheme by the other side. This time, Standard Chartered and HSBC would pay a heavy price. Although Standard Chartered and HSBC were constantly trying to stabilize their stock prices, they were not only facing Pacific Investment as an enemy, but also the joint suppression from Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group.

Thanks to the media's publicity, all financial institutions around the world knew about the dire situation of Standard Chartered and HSBC, and Lehman Brothers was no exception. However, Hurricane Investment did not choose to short Lehman Brothers at this time and maintained a certain degree of restraint, which made the White House and those guys on Wall Street breathe a sigh of relief.

"Boss, Standard Chartered and HSBC want to talk to you. How should I respond?"

"Ignore them. We've already acquired almost all the shares held by retail investors. Continue with our plan: contact other shareholders, acquire their shares, and then move on to the second phase. If they refuse our approval, we'll launch the acquisition immediately, giving them no chance to breathe!" John had been waiting for this day for a long time, and now the final battle could finally begin. Retail investors no longer held many shares, and the time had come to launch a full-scale acquisition! Yuan Tianfan hadn't expected this day to come so quickly. Although he didn't know how many Standard Chartered shares his boss secretly controlled, he could tell from these words that it was definitely more than fifty percent. The situation was settled; the other side had no ability to resist. Once they acquired the shares from the other shareholders, they could launch a full-scale acquisition.

"Damn it, you said Yuan Tianfan is contacting other shareholders, wanting to acquire Standard Chartered. How dare he do this? Even if Standard Chartered is in a bad situation now, it's not something Pacific Investment can acquire. Could it be that those damn bastards in Japan have given them support again?" When Standard Chartered learned of Yuan Tianfan's actions, they were filled with fear and unease. The worst had happened.

After several days of continuous lobbying, many Standard Chartered shareholders have already sold their shares at a premium. As for what the British think, that's none of their concern. When Yuan Tianfan took action, they all understood that this confrontation had already begun. No one wanted to get involved in such a storm. Although Pacific Investment is not a large company, the fact that the other party dared to make such a move meant that they had already acquired enough shares in the previous series of actions.

"The younger generation is truly formidable. Who would have thought that in just a few years, this powerful figure would strike again? And this time, Standard Chartered is in danger. If nothing unexpected happens, Standard Chartered will definitely change hands!"

"Yes, judging from their methods, it's clear they've been preparing for this for years. Perhaps they were already planning this when they plotted against this kid at Standard Chartered back then. Now that the time has come, they've struck decisively, giving Standard Chartered no chance to retaliate. Even HSBC has suffered heavy losses and dares not help Standard Chartered. But Lao Bao, should we accept Standard Chartered's request? Our participation in such a major battle will surely provoke that kid's wrath. They're not simple!"

"Under these circumstances, we have no choice but to refuse. The other party has been preparing for so long, do you think they don't have enough shares? Moreover, if we intervene at this time, we will make a blood feud with them. They can use personal grudges as a pretext for this acquisition. It's not good to interfere in personal grudges. And do you think we are worth paying such a high price for Standard Chartered and creating such a terrible enemy for ourselves?"

Despite Standard Chartered's request, the Hong Kong tycoons still chose to refuse, unwilling to participate in such a major battle. They were unwilling to bear the terrible consequences. As Hong Kong tycoons, they all knew how formidable John was now, and no one wanted to provoke such a terrifying enemy.

"Damn it, I knew these guys were unreliable. Now we're in big trouble. Perhaps we've already lost this battle!" Although they didn't want to admit it, after receiving the rejection from the Chinese tycoon, Standard Chartered's senior management finally realized that they had lost this battle and that the other side had gained enough advantage.

"Perhaps we should talk to Yuan Tianfan and try our best to negotiate a price that we can accept. If we wait until they acquire the shares from the other shareholders, we won't even have a chance to negotiate!"

Faced with an increasingly aggressive enemy, Standard Chartered's senior management had no choice but to make this worst-case scenario. Although some were unwilling to give up, the current situation forced them to do so. If they did not give up, they would lose their last chance.

By this time, the Standard Chartered guys realized that John, that little fox, had secretly acquired most of Standard Chartered's shares. He had only delayed the acquisition until now because he wanted to complete it at the lowest possible cost. They had been too careless, hadn't prepared in advance, and hadn't taken this enemy seriously. By the time the other party made his move, it was already too late.

These guys, with their abilities, naturally understand why Standard Chartered's stock transactions are no longer visible on the stock market—because they've all fallen into the other side's hands. Now they have no choice but to compromise.

(End of this chapter)