[Chapter 654: The Unfortunate Mr. Billionaire]
In 1992, it was clear that things weren't going well for William White. He had just faced a barrage from European mobile phone manufacturers. anwhile, word was out from Hong Kong that the telecom operating licenses were to be revoked.
Both fixed-line and mobile communication licenses would need to be auctioned off again. As for the losses faced by Hong Kong Telecom, there would be so compensation, but it wouldn't cover everything.
"Ha ha, Dominic, it seems they're planning to be unreasonable. Well, if they want to hold an auction, then let's do it; it was bound to happen eventually anyway."
"Sir, how do we respond? There's a mob of reporters gathering at the door."
William White sighed. Was this just a case of people reveling in the chaos?
"Publicly express our support. Monopolizing a public resource reeks of colonialism. This is sothing we oppose. We're living in a civilized society now; these outdated practices should've been swept into history's dustbin long ago. It's great that Hong Kong is realizing this issue now, and we sincerely wish for its continued developnt."
"Ahem, sir, are you sure you want to say it like that?" Dominic asked, looking conflicted. That sounded pretty highfalutin, didn't it?
"No need to change a word. They want us to stir things up. Well, I'm not going to play along."
The position taken by Hong Kong Telecom left the reporters at the door feeling disheartened. They were expecting a show, not a forceful declaration of support. After all, wasn't this guy the one who shorted the pound last year?
No, there had to be so insider deal going on. This foreign guy wasn't that easy to deal with. Yet, he just kept talking about strong support and looking forward to the bidding process.
Well, that left little room for argunt. Since the parties involved were satisfied, what was there for all the onlookers to criticize? This was just a case of people looking for trouble.
...
"Sir, Mr. Filson has arrived."
"Lisa, let him in. Get us sothing to drink. And by the way, bring over a couple of boxes of those cigars they sent today."
"Sure thing, sir. I'll be right back."
William White, feeling not a shred of anger now, was simply the focus of attention. Everyone seed to want to butter him up. Unfortunately, the current idiot in charge had none of the Iron Lady's level of competence.
"Sit down, Filson. How much cash do we have on hand right now?" William White got straight to business without any preamble.
"Sir, about two billion in cash. Our investnts before the new year were sizable, and so stocks have already turned a paper loss."
"Let's leverage it out; I need two billion in short-term loans. This ti, I want to show them a thing or two."
Filson was speechless. Was the boss planning another surprise attack? Cough, cough, why couldn't he take a different approach, like shorting their bank stocks? That would be so much simpler.
"If we short the index, they'll react negatively."
"Ha ha, Filson, you don't understand the thrill of this. Look, I just slapped them in the face, and now I'm going to do it again in the sa spot. If their mindset is fragile enough, they might jump off a bridge."
All right, he had seen disrespect before, but this was on another level.
"All right, but sir, with this scale of financing, Wall Street will definitely be buzzing. I guess I won't be drinking for a while."
"Ha ha ha, I knew you'd say that. These top-notch Havana cigars? Do you know who rolled this cigar? It's their boss who rolled it, too. Just two boxes, I'll let you have it for cheap."
...
William White's strange investnt moves were, of course, raising eyebrows in the capital markets. Back in late last year, William White had swooped in to grab his haul. As it turned out, Mr. Billionaire's stock trading skills were rather ordinary.
If his last move had been to bottom-fish, what was this round of fundraising for? Continuing to bottom-fish wasn't possible. Capital has its cost; if he wasn't crazy, there was no way he was using this money for long-term investnts.
It was futile to seek information; those people under William White were quite slick. They might not even know, and even if they did, there was no way to find out.
William White had many shortcomings, but one thing was for sure: he was never stingy. Working hard yields rewards, and that had always been his principle.
"Sir, their target this ti is definitely substantial."
"Oh, Andy, what news have you dug up?"
"Sir, I've tallied their positions. Including the five hundred million borrowed from Morgan Stanley, they already exceed five billion in positions. And it seems they have no intention to stop. Kuwait Investnt Authority has also lent three hundred million; their objective this ti is most likely currency."
Hearing this was confusing, but that final line caught his attention.
Right, it couldn't be an acquisition of any company. William White's skills in that departnt were average at best; he always preferred to strike hard and see what the outco might be.
"Currency? Right, what has Soros been up to lately? I haven't seen him in a while."
"Ahem, well, sir, Soros has also been raising funds. Is it possible that these two guys have the sa target?"
After saying this, Andy looked rather shocked.
No way, could it be that coincidental? Last ti, they got unlucky, and the financial system was thrown into turmoil. Who would it be this ti that would end up in a ss?
"Sir, it wouldn't be the British again, would it?"
Pfft, cough cough.
Wiping the coffee off his forehead, Andy felt quite flustered. Boss, it's your call; whatever you want goes.
"Ahem, sorry, Andy, you know, if that's the case, the British might be in big trouble this ti."
Andy hardly bothered wiping off the coffee; if this guess was true, they might just get a piece of the pie. As for whether the British would survive or not, they couldn't be bothered.
"Okay, let's prepare in advance. Now, set up a eting with Soros. When did this troublemaker start mingling with William White?"
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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