The American Kill Line: I Can Predict the Future

Chapter 116 Departure to Japan

A boring movie has ended.

Ron invited Kushner to dinner, but Ivanka declined, citing that she was too tired.

This left Ron somewhat disappointed.

He also wanted to find out the exact pregnancy date and make a time estimate.

Even so, we'll know for sure whether it's true or false once it's born.

So Ron didn't take it too seriously.

It's not like you're the one who suffers a loss either way.

If it's his, then we'll acknowledge it.

No, consider it freeloading, no, to be precise, it was being taken advantage of.

Speaking of which, we've been eating ribs a lot lately.

Ron is starting to miss plus-size.

Just then, Anne's reputation improved, and CAA-IMG arranged a joint media conference for her.

It's time to leave.

Ron's villa didn't even have a separate room for her.

Wall Street hedge fund giants launch takeover bid for Netflix

Following Tesla and Nvidia, the "King of Hedge Funds" has once again made a takeover bid for Netflix, the rising star of the internet industry, signaling the arrival of the Netflix streaming era.

When the stock market opened, Netflix's stock price jumped immediately.

Compared to yesterday's closing price, the increase is over 10%.

The institutional shareholders have great faith in the judgment of this king of the Ottomans.

Not only institutions, but also old money like Philips have bought a lot.

"He's fucking lucky, but I wonder how long he can stay."

Old money investors don't really like holding these emerging technology stocks for the long term; they prefer stable, established company stocks.

It's probably because Philip wanted to tie the knot.

So when Ron made his move on Tesla, they joined forces to buy shares.

The same applies to Nvidia.

Now it's Netflix.

If Ron ever decides to take over, the combined stock they own will be a considerable sum.

After settling things over with Anne, Ron was about to go find Kate Upton when John Thain, the president of CIT, called to deliver some news.

Investment banks like JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs have recently been buying up Japanese heavy industry companies at bargain prices.

If the earthquake and nuclear leak in Japan were a disaster for the Japanese people...

Ron and Soros joined forces to plunder the Nikkei, Japanese stocks, and yen, directly causing severe damage to these leading Japanese companies.

This also tore a deep, unhealable wound in Japan's heavy industry market for Wall Street investment banks.

Wall Street investment banks seized this opportunity to hype up the idea that "the Japanese nuclear disaster is irreversible" and "the Japanese economy will fall into a long-term recession" through media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and Fox News.

Then, in conjunction with rating agencies S&P and Moody's downgrading Japan's sovereign credit rating and Tokyo Telecom's credit rating, they further depressed Japanese asset prices.

John Thane has received accurate information that the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce will make statements this month.

The message is: "The United States can release strategic crude oil reserves to Japan in an emergency to ensure LNG supply. However, this is contingent on Japan fully opening its energy market and allowing US capital to participate in the investment and operation of Japanese power and LNG infrastructure."

At that time, Japan had reached a dead end.

Following the Fukushima accident, all 54 commercial nuclear power plants in Japan were shut down, resulting in a 40% power shortage nationwide, which could only be filled by thermal power generation. However, the core fuels for thermal power, LNG and crude oil, are imported.

As Japan's largest power company, TEPCO has assumed more than 4.5 trillion yen (approximately US$560 billion) in compensation liability for the Fukushima disaster.

With billions of dollars in fiscal losses and on the verge of bankruptcy, Japan can only survive by receiving government funding.

Even more critically, the only option for the core fuel of these thermal power plants is the United States.

LNG shipments from the Middle East must pass through the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca.

However, the United States has complete control over both waterways.

The major shareholders of the Australian LNG project are US energy giants such as Chevron and ExxonMobil.

The pricing power and dollar settlement power of the global LNG trade are also entirely in the hands of Wall Street.

Japan's only way to solve its energy crisis is to rely on the United States.

Therefore, in early April, Japan announced: "Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced the complete lifting of LNG import restrictions, the elimination of power companies' long-term contract procurement monopoly, and the permission for foreign companies to directly sign long-term supply agreements with Japanese power companies."

Wall Street investment banks, BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard, and other Wall Street asset management giants are flocking to Japan.

They aggressively increased their holdings of TEPCO stock at a price less than 10% of its peak value.

Simultaneously, they bought shares of nine other major power companies, including Kansai Electric Power, Kyushu Electric Power, and Tokyo Gas.

Instead of pursuing relative controlling stake, they secured the most crucial decision-making power over fuel procurement through joint shareholding.

In short, it means: "From now on, Japan's energy needs must be approved by us. You cannot negotiate prices, use other suppliers, or resist."

The specifics are currently under negotiation.

John Thane did not do this with good intentions when he revealed the information to Ron.

I'm just feeling unhappy.

Hunter Capital's second fund saw him invest $3 million, ultimately yielding a return of $19 billion.

This process takes only six months.

Such terrifying profits naturally attracted the covetous eyes of others.

So after the dividends were distributed, half of John's original 10% stake in the second fund was taken away by several key directors of Bank of America and CIT Group.

Moreover, he didn't get a share in the third fund.

He didn't blame Ron, because it was his own fault for not being able to protect himself.

But that doesn't mean I feel good about it.

He revealed this information to Ron on a whim.

Ron would be happy to get a share of the profits from these investment banks, but it wouldn't matter if he didn't.

Thanks.

Although Ron knew the guy wasn't being kind, he still thanked him.

Back in his study, he sat quietly, deep in thought.

"They're fucking robbers! This is just a toll, and they're forcibly collecting it!"

Ron was insanely jealous. For Japan, the world's third-largest energy consumer, the annual import trade channel fees were an absolutely terrifying figure.

More importantly, it needs to be stable and sustainable.

It can be said that as long as Japan remains dependent on the United States, this income will continue to flow in.

What a pity!

This piece of cake is not something he can touch for the time being.

Fortunately, it's not like there's no chance at all.

For example, buying the top ten power stocks at rock-bottom prices.

To put it bluntly, this is just a means of control by Wall Street.

As long as we've reached an agreement with the investment banks, we don't care which firm takes over.

For example, LNG supply.

The Eagle Beach Shale in Texas is not only a producer of shale oil, but also the second largest shale gas producing region in the United States.

The associated gas from the 18-acre oil field in McMullen County that he owned was basically released directly into the air during production.

There was no other way; there were no pipes or proper liquefaction equipment.

Rebuilding it yourself is not only troublesome, but also very costly.

This is also why Ron chose to jointly develop the 20-acre oil field when he purchased it through Old Bass.

That oil field has even more natural gas.

Developing it independently would be too costly.

But things are different now, according to the way giants like Koch and Bath do things.

Once the United States gains control over Japan's energy imports, the price is expected to be much higher than the market price.

The extra profit can completely cover the initial costs.

With that in mind, Ron immediately dialed Charles Koch's number.

After a few brief pleasantries, Ron got straight to the point and stated his thoughts.

Before he could finish speaking, Charles interrupted with a laugh, "I was talking to that old man Bass about you the other day, saying why you hadn't come looking for me yet, which wasn't like you. Turns out you hadn't received the message."

"You kept this from me for so long," Ron said resentfully.

Charles sneered, "Those vultures were following you around, trying to steal your assets. Don't tell me you didn't see them? He paused, then said seriously, "Ron, you should build your own intelligence network and lobbying team. Like this time, even John was able to get advance notice from the Department of Energy and the Department of Commerce, while you were completely unaware."

The core of top tycoons and conglomerates has never been just money, but rather the network of connections that can influence policy and control information gaps.

Intelligence and lobbying are among the core standards for measuring the strength of a capital and conglomerate.

"Thanks, Charles." Ron had actually realized it a long time ago.

This is one of the reasons why he recruited Gates.

Gates is a core member of the Democratic Party's inner circle, and his lobbying team includes politicians from both parties.

The same applies to intelligence.

Ordinary people only know Gates as the founder of Microsoft and the world's richest man.

In fact, Gates had long ago established a global network through various philanthropic foundations, accumulating macro-level intelligence on geopolitics, pandemics, food, and energy in more than 100 countries over several decades.

Ron can't do that level yet; it requires decades of continuous investment and accumulation.

In the short term, it is possible to build one's own political intelligence network through the relationships among these shareholders.

"No need for thanks. David went to Japan a few days ago. If you're interested, you can go and take a look. Some things you have to experience firsthand, and this is a great opportunity."

Koch Industries is the largest natural gas producer, pipeline and trader in the United States.

Its liquefied petroleum gas processing group accounts for 25% of the total North American market.

It is also a top-3 private natural gas producer in the United States, with a 4000-mile pipeline network in Eagle Beach and the Permian Basin.

It covers core production areas in the Gulf of Mexico, including Texas and Louisiana.

Prior to this year, U.S. law prohibited the export of LNG to countries outside of U.S. free trade agreements, excluding Japan and South Korea.

In this Japanese incident, the Koch family, together with Wall Street investment banks and the Petroleum Institute, exerted intensive pressure on the Diet and the Department of Energy to push for the liberalization of LNG.

Export restrictions.

It can be said that the Koch family is one of the biggest driving forces behind this.

Wall Street investment banks use financial packages to lock in import trade spreads and collect exorbitant "tolls".

Energy giants control irreplaceable gas sources, pipelines, and terminals, thereby gaining pricing power.

Then, through the hegemonic policies of the US government, they joined forces to exploit Japan.

Ron's entry into the fray was part of the plans of energy giants like the Koch and Bass families.

Even without John Thane's reminder.

Once the Department of Energy has fully implemented the policy, they will notify Ron as well.

The choice of Ron was not solely based on his exceptional talent in finance.

More importantly, they need a true advocate for themselves on Wall Street in the future.

Ron just happens to be interested in energy, his family has lived in Texas for generations, and they have such a strong ability to generate their own income.

Nature became their first choice.

Helping Ron is essentially helping their entire alliance of energy giants.

"Go to Japan?"

Ron hesitated for a moment.

That area just had an earthquake; who knows if another one will happen?

He was genuinely afraid of dying.

However, as Charles said, some things still need to be done personally.

Always relying on others is ultimately not a good thing.

Moreover, this is a business deal that will last ten, twenty, or even longer.

It's worth the trip for him.

Without hesitation, Ron immediately dialed his assistant Fang Wei's number: "Fang, pass on the word, we're going to Tokyo, Japan the day after tomorrow."

Then Ron called his best friend.

"My dear brother, I have good news for you. Annie's matter has been resolved, and she just left today."

Robert on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Is she moisturized?"

Ron laughed heartily: "So moist, incredibly moist, you know, she has big lips, so it's amazing, absolutely incredible!!"

"Fuck you!!" Robert felt a pang of unease.

However, Ron's next words made him quickly forget about Annie.

"As compensation, I've decided to take you to Japan. I've heard the girls there are even better at talking, especially their bathhouse culture, married women, and twin sisters—"

"dad!!"

(PS: The plot starting tomorrow will be about everyday life, and then it will be about the Koreans.)

I guarantee the plot will be awesome, and we'll beat those lowly bastards and those Japanese bitches to a pulp!!!

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