America: My Time

Chapter 581 Laying out the future
Chapter 571 Laying Out the Future
John decided to leave the area where the storm was brewing. Seeing that things were getting back on track in England, he decided to leave this stormy land. With the acquisitions being reported more and more, England was no longer a good place, at least not a place for him to stay any longer. Before the Englishmen could even react, John had already boarded his private jet and left.

"What? You're sure they've left England? Why didn't you report it beforehand? Do you know how big a mistake you've made? If we could negotiate with them and leverage their influence, we could accelerate England's economic recovery!" At this moment, the arrogant British Prime Minister finally couldn't contain his anger. John's departure had ruined his entire plan.

During John's stay in England, the country had already devised a series of plans to leverage his influence to accelerate its economic recovery. Now, his subordinates were telling him that John had left England—this was the consequence of arrogance.

Waiting for John to come knocking on their door is wishful thinking on the part of the British. John has no such intentions. He currently holds the upper hand and the initiative, yet he expects to offer them a way out—it's laughable. The God of Wealth has come knocking, and you haven't even made a gesture, yet you're dreaming of using his influence? What a joke!

At the Paris airport, John saw his uncle Justin waiting for him as soon as he got off his private plane. He was accompanied by two beauties, Armani Béart and Sophie Marceau. John was a little surprised by Sophie Marceau's appearance, since her focus was now on Hollywood and she spent most of the year in the United States rather than France!

"Uncle, how's the situation in Paris? I haven't been here for a while."

"You've been focusing all your energy on Britain lately. Even in France, people know about your big moves, and many are mocking your madness. After this round of acquisitions, you practically own a powerful heavy industry in Britain. This will make you very influential in Britain!"

"There's nothing we can do about it. The atmosphere in Britain is much better than in France, so investing in Britain is simpler and more direct than investing in France, and there won't be any cultural conflicts. This isn't just my decision, but the result of the entire think tank's analysis. In comparison, France wouldn't give me such freedom to acquire things."

John was right. If one wanted to establish a foothold in Europe, England was the best choice. It had everything John needed, from culture and economy to technology and personnel.

"Fine, I can't argue with you. But with all this expansion in Britain, haven't you thought about making an acquisition in France?"

"I don't have such ideas, at least not in industry. At most, I'll only develop wineries, clothing, and the like. Even media won't see much expansion. To say nothing of other things, my transactions with Mao have been obstructed by quite a few people, forcing me to stop most of my business in Europe. Many of my industries here have been affected. How can I invest under such circumstances? In comparison, the situation in Britain is much better. At least they can give me a controlling stake in Rolls-Royce. Will France give me such an opportunity?"

The rapid progress of privatization in the UK has brought about a good improvement in the British economy, but the recent stock market crash has dealt it a heavy blow. However, thanks to John's aggressive acquisition, the UK has once again come into the public eye, allowing more investors to see the boldness of privatization in the UK.

If it's about acquiring a French company, then you have time to negotiate with them. West Germany is even worse; they are almost all unwilling to sell their own companies, and their stubbornness is astonishing. John had many transactions with East Germany, including technical and other collaborations, but these transactions were affected by the obstruction of the Europeans.

John had put a lot of effort and made many arrangements in the transactions with East Germany and the Russians, especially in the case of the German mark, where he had made ample preparations in advance. Now, however, he was being influenced by the Europeans, which was infuriating, as it concerned his future plans.

No matter who uses his uncle to test him, it won't work. Apart from a few luxury brands and wineries that he needs, he won't get his hands on anything else. Even if there are better resources, John won't be envious, at least not now.

"Fine, I can't argue with you. You didn't come to Paris just to check on the businesses here, did you? The sudden stock market crash has caused significant damage to your brands, and Fashion Week, which happened to be in that period, was naturally affected as well. Now, many people are cursing you!"

"I didn't come here for that. I just came to get a feel for the market atmosphere and then visit my grandparents in Bordeaux. However, the situation at Elite Firm here isn't ideal, which is detrimental to Phoenix Group's expansion needs. The more the stock market crashes, the easier it is to buy at the bottom. For me, the impact on the brand is the best thing that could happen, making this the perfect time to buy. My main purpose here is to understand the situation of Hurricane Investment here, as well as Standard Chartered Bank's expansion!"

Given this proactive planning, how could John not have established a presence in a major city like Paris? His investments extend beyond London to other major European financial centers. His network in Britain is almost complete; only in Europe is there a significant gap, requiring him to acquire assets at bargain prices during stock market crashes. Of course, John doesn't need to personally handle these matters; he only needs to understand the situation firsthand. Only by experiencing the environment firsthand can he truly understand everything and make the most suitable decisions.

“John, you’re wrong about something. Elite Agency is different now. It has some foundation and is no longer just a small group of people. Given enough time, I believe it will grow and expand very quickly!”

"That's good. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix Group will both be making significant adjustments to their plans. And the more severe the stock market crash, the more important it is to maintain a strong publicity presence, otherwise you'll only suffer even more. If a suitable target comes along, I won't give up."

"With so many things to do, when are you going to Bordeaux?" After a brief conversation, the topic finally returned to the main point: John's trip to France was to visit his grandparents, so naturally he would be going to Bordeaux.

"I'll head to Bordeaux in two days. You should pack your bags; we'll go back together."

The convoy soon arrived at their accommodation in Paris, and John breathed a sigh of relief. Leaving London relieved him of much of the pressure; at least he no longer had to face the many problems of England and could escape that somewhat frenzied circle. Many people think England is a good place to invest, but it depends on your choices and actions.

Many people only saw Gulfstream Aerospace's frenzied expansion and its growth in the aircraft industry, but failed to notice Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank. Although the stock market crash is not over yet, John has already anticipated the next crisis: the £92 crisis. Even with all the pressure, the environment in Britain is problematic and not easily resolved. Moreover, this is a global stock market crash, making it necessary to leverage it for a new round of strategic positioning.

After this stock market crash, John believes that more people will be watching him and Hurricane Investment. If he wants to make a move again, he will need a longer-term approach and more preparation. Therefore, it is necessary to start planning for the next crisis now. Only in this way can the enemy not find out and he can hide himself underwater and not be noticed.

Only by subtly and gradually laying the groundwork for the next crisis can one achieve secrecy. Currently, not many people are paying attention to Hurricane Investment and Standard Chartered Bank, because they all know that the other party is expanding rapidly.

When John's private jet landed at the Paris airport, it attracted a lot of attention, including from the French government. After all, he was a Wall Street tycoon, and more importantly, his huge investments in Britain had impressed them, making them look forward to John's further expansion. Unfortunately, they couldn't wait for that moment.

Regarding the situation in Greater Paris, shortly after John arrived at his residence, a report from Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investments appeared before him. It was a comprehensive report on France, incredibly detailed, and this was just the beginning. Before long, data from all over Europe would be compiled here.

Seeing the decline in the value of luxury brands, John couldn't help but smile faintly. He was even happier when he saw the situation in the cinema industry, and then he was even happier when he saw the situation in retail, Carrefour. Most importantly, the bottom-fishing work had been done very well. At least now, if Hurricane Investment were to come forward and announce the results of the bottom-fishing, it would definitely be able to enter Carrefour's board of directors. However, this was not John's goal, but to take control, but that would take time.

It wasn't just Hurricane Investment that made the move; Standard Chartered Bank was also involved, along with assets hidden underwater. Because of this prior planning, John reaped far more rewards than he had imagined during the stock market crash. No one knew about the underwater investments, which had quietly transformed into numerous assets and were once again hidden in the shadows.

In Europe, such hidden capital is abundant, with many large families possessing such funds. Americans are no exception; at least UBS has a significant amount of American capital lurking there as the last vestige of their family's wealth. John also left behind such a legacy in Europe, hidden even deeper, making it difficult for others to see or understand, given the sheer number of banks there.

(End of this chapter)