America: My Time

Chapter 793 The Difficulties of Neon

Chapter 783 The Difficulties of Neon
"Proceed as planned, continue to push up crude oil prices, and gradually release our crude oil futures holdings!" With the sharp rise in oil prices, John instructed Hurricane Investments and Standard Chartered Bank to begin selling small amounts of their crude oil futures. At his command, Hurricane Investments and Standard Chartered Bank began to take action.

Just as John thought, the smaller the quantity sold, the faster the oil price would rise. Being left hanging is the most unpleasant feeling because the quantity released is too small to meet market demand, which will only push up oil prices step by step and make the crude oil market even more frenzied.

At this time, many people also noticed the selling by Standard Chartered Bank and Hurricane Investment, and understood that this was driving up oil prices. Unfortunately, those guys were powerless to do anything about it and could only watch helplessly as oil prices rose.

The Japanese have naturally noticed this problem as well. For them, rising oil prices will hit their economy and drag Japan's development into a quagmire. They urgently need to solve this problem, and the pressure on the Japanese government is considerable. The Japanese stock market was already declining, and now with rising oil prices, it will face an even greater crisis.

"Mr. Morita, you must arrange a reception immediately and invite Mr. John so that we can all sit down and talk. This is not about the media, nor about cars and shipbuilding, but about energy, about crude oil. Oil prices have been rising continuously, and in just two days they have doubled. We must talk to John and at least get our hands on his crude oil reserves, otherwise we will soon face an oil shortage!"

At this point, the Japanese officials finally couldn't sit still any longer and had to put pressure on Akio Morita. Now that there were no short-term crude oil orders in the crude oil futures market, how could they not be anxious? If there hadn't been a war, it wouldn't have been a problem, but the outbreak of a major war in the Middle East forced them to feel fear and unease, compelling them to willingly fall into the trap that John had prepared for them and into the crude oil supply plan that he had carefully arranged for them.

Although Japan seems to have large crude oil reserves, with the outbreak of war in the Middle East, crude oil exports are restricted. They cannot hold out for long; if it goes on, they will be dragged down. Therefore, when oil prices rise, they must take emergency measures. After all, the Middle East accounts for a large share of the world's oil exports, so how can they not panic when imports are affected?

"I'll do my best, you know, this isn't something I can decide, and this happened so suddenly, we don't even know what's going on with Mr. John!" Akio Morita was also anxious, but now that such a big thing has happened, he couldn't guarantee how John would react, or whether John would cooperate with them.

Japan is anxious, but Taiwan isn't, or rather, South Korea isn't worried at all. Right now, many countries around the world are anxious, and this isn't just Japan's problem. They're eyeing John's oil reserves, and many others share this thought.

"It's not just about doing your best, it's about making sure you succeed. I believe you can do it. For the sake of Japan's development, you have to do it no matter what. Tomorrow night, we need results, we need to see the party held! Right now, it's not just us taking John's oil reserves; many countries have the same idea. Do you understand? If we're late, we won't get anything."

"I understand, I will definitely invite John to the party tomorrow night, but I'll need everyone's help!"

How could the Japanese officials not know Akio Morita's difficulties? This sudden change had a huge impact on the original plan. Holding the event ahead of schedule, as well as coordinating previously invited performers and other arrangements, all needed to be done. This was not something Akio Morita could handle alone; it required everyone's help.

"Don't worry, we'll handle the rest. You just need to invite Mr. John to the party, and it would be best to persuade him to prioritize supplying the crude oil that Japan needs."

Akio Morita faced pressure not only from the Japanese government but also from major Japanese companies. The outbreak of the Middle East war had severely impacted them, forcing them to confront the pressure of rising oil prices. This was especially true for chemical companies, whose costs were increasing with rising oil prices. Most importantly, Japan was short of crude oil, and even using its reserves wouldn't last long. Who knew how long this war would last? The Iran-Iraq War had lasted for eight years. If this Middle East war dragged on for too long, even just six months would be enough to plunge Japan into crisis.

When John received the call from that old guy Akio Morita, a faint smile appeared on his face. These guys in Japan were getting desperate, wanting to hold a party ahead of schedule, clearly because of the crude oil in his hands. Although John had expected this situation, he still felt a little amazed. This was the power of controlling energy.

"The party's been moved up. Who's coming with me tomorrow night?" John asked, looking at the beautiful women in front of him. Normally, Naoko would be the most suitable, but right now, Naoko's mind is all on little Martin, and she doesn't want to participate. It's fair to say that since Martin was born, she hasn't attended any parties; almost everything revolves around the little guy.

"I can't, I have to take care of little Martin!" Just as John had expected, Naoko refused immediately. Her son was more important than anything else right now, and she had no desire to attend such a party.

"I'm not going either!" Soon, Sachiko and Akina also refused to attend; the party was too oppressive and made them feel uncomfortable. In the end, Hitomi Kuroki was chosen, as everyone felt she was the most suitable.

As night fell, the party began. Although time was tight, Akio Morita still put on a beautiful show. However, unlike previous parties, while the performers had arrived early, many of the guests also arrived early. These people were either Japanese government officials or people from the petrochemical industry. They were all extremely nervous because they didn't have much crude oil reserves, and the Japanese government wouldn't use their reserves unless absolutely necessary.

"Gentlemen, the situation in the Middle East is becoming increasingly dangerous. If oil prices continue to rise, we will face greater pressure, and the increased costs will severely impact our development. I don't know how much crude oil reserves you all have, but we at Cisco can't hold out for long, and I don't know if John will lend us a hand!"

Cosmo Oil, as a member of the Sanhe Group, is also under considerable pressure. With the outbreak of war in the Middle East, there are very few orders in the crude oil futures market; clearly, everyone is watching and waiting. Most importantly, even if you have crude oil orders, whether you can actually transport them back is another question. The best solution now is John's crude oil reserves in Asia, which are Western Energy's crude oil reserves throughout Asia.

"Everyone is in the same boat. We originally thought things would get better after the war between Iran and Iraq ended, but unexpectedly, something else happened. Now everyone is in a very difficult situation. Moreover, it's impossible to buy crude oil from the Middle East now. Our people have already talked to them, and there's absolutely no chance."

"Now we can only see how things go on Mr. John's side. If we can persuade him, we'll have a chance to catch our breath and hold on for a while longer. If not, our market will be affected, and we might even be taken over by the other side, unless the government is willing to use its crude oil reserves, which is almost impossible."

These oil companies all understand that expecting the Japanese government to use the country's crude oil reserves is unrealistic; they have to find their own solutions. The fact that they are taking the initiative to help negotiate with John is already quite good. Asking for more is impossible. If the country's crude oil reserves are used and cannot be replenished in time, and new accidents occur, the consequences will be severe.

"Given the relationship between your Sanwa Group and John, this shouldn't be a problem. Mitsubishi isn't having much of a problem either, but it's hard to say about the others. After all, Mr. John can't possibly sell us all of his crude oil reserves. South Korea is also facing difficulties, as is Taiwan, not to mention other countries."

Everyone knows the current situation, but right now everyone has money but can't buy crude oil because of the war. Even if they do buy it, they don't know if it can be safely transported back. John's crude oil reserves are completely different, but it's hard to say how much John can give them, since John himself needs to consume it.

Unfortunately, these guys didn't know that John only needed to hold out for six months, while his crude oil reserves were enough to sustain major refineries for a year. In other words, half of his crude oil was available for sale. Although it might not sound like much, selling half of the crude oil would generate astonishing profits, especially since most of it was obtained through barter from the Russians.

Of course, crude oil is just a small part; the real big profit lies in the futures market. With leverage of dozens of times, John can acquire a large number of crude oil futures contracts, all with maturities within six months. This will bring him enormous profits. Those guys in Japan, with their capabilities, have also realized this, which is why they're so eager to negotiate with John.

These guys in Japan are all worried that crude oil prices will continue to rise and that the war in the Middle East will have a greater impact on the entire crude oil market. Otherwise, they wouldn't have entered the market early. They are worried that someone will take action in advance and seize the crude oil reserves in John's hands. These guys are eager to get enough crude oil as quickly as possible.

(End of this chapter)