[Chapter 764: Explosive Growth]
Even with their early moves, Rockefeller still looked down on him. The reasoning was simple: they were bleeding money now, but it was all for the promise of big gains in the future.
What infuriated them most was this guy, touting his environntal theories, which directly placed them on the sha ladder. What even was this smog? Could you eat it?
What are they talking about with photochemical smog? Was Arica's pollution really that serious?
But their anger was futile. White Oil had already decided that starting in '94, they would offer cleaner automotive fuel, while keeping prices steady.
Wow, here was a responsible entrepreneur image coming to life. As for those he criticized, they really did look quite pathetic.
Sure, other things might be in short supply in Arica, but there were never a shortage of idle people. A huge crowd wandering around was just plain annoying.
Regarding gasoline standards, Rockefeller had nothing to say. European standards were clear, and Arican standards stank. The quality of their gasoline was indeed terrible, even if it was cheap.
From this point, you could see that Arica encouraged gasoline consumption. Those morally bankrupt oil barons hadn't skimped on spending here.
Well, then there were those three auto giants who could go bankrupt at any minute. If gas prices rose across the board, their gas guzzlers wouldn't even stand a chance against those compact cars.
When it ca to saving the dollar's international status, those giants clearly hadn't thought things through. Or perhaps, compared to the dollar's global standing, the auto industry was worth less than nothing.
Of course, William White wasn't a saint either; he was just playing the ga. A bit of posturing was all it took. If they didn't know when to quit, he would definitely have more tricks up his sleeve.
...
"Sir, Mr. Filson is here."
"Good, let him in."
Christmas was right around the corner. If it hadn't been for all the interruptions, he would've been on vacation already. But after wrapping things up over the next couple of days, he indeed planned to escape.
"Ha ha, you look good. Got so good news for ?"
"Yes, sir, there has been explosive growth in the Asian communication market. Today's stock prices look very promising."
"Ha ha ha, those old folks must be pleased, right? Where's the best performing region?"
"Hong Kong and China. I just contacted them; they said there would be sustained high growth."
"Great, that's indeed good news. We don't need to worry too much about the slight downturn in the European market."
"Right, sir, they do have a localization advantage. Imagine if those mobile phones were still produced in Arica. That would be unimaginable."
...
Holding the report in his hand, the head of Morgan Stanley looked sowhat dumbfounded. This device called a cellphone had always been a mystery to them.
"Andy, can you tell what those analysts are doing?"
"Cough, sir, Siens, Nokia, Ericsson; these three companies' phones each have their own strengths, and they are doing quite well in Europe. Moreover, Motorola seems to have let loose a bit; they haven't increased their marketing efforts in the European market." Andy was also quite frustrated, having just liquidated two hundred thousand shares of Motorola.
"Let loose? They really don't care about the European market."
"Sir, it is indeed odd. Tesla is making a big push in Europe. Doesn't it seem like if it's not their own brand, they don't care much?"
William White's thoughts were indeed hard to decipher. But none of that mattered now; Motorola's valuation would need adjustnt once again.
...
"Wow, Steve Jobs, if you switched to making phones, I bet you would do quite well too! I'm working like a dog just to make this little bit of money. Look at William White -- man, this guy finds it easy in the IT industry."
Looking at the chatty Lucas, Steve Jobs wasn't impressed. William White was rely taking the easy way out -- a greedy bastard selling a phone for six thousand bucks.
"George, this stuff has no technological content. William White's greatest expenditure is in his design studios spread worldwide. That guy is simply selling phones as luxury items. Six thousand? So are priced over thirty thousand."
"Cough, that seems outrageous."
"An Aston Martin limited edition? You could buy a pretty decent car with that!"
"See? The price isn't really an issue."
Lucas, though acknowledging the sense in what was said, still planned to bargain. Steve Jobs's computer was indeed nice, but the price was steep. Not to ntion those damn software costs; why not learn from Bill Gates? Only with thin margins can one sell in greater quantities.
"George, don't be ridiculous! You know Disney has already talked to ; they're starting a computer animation division."
"Co on, don't take for a fool. William White is just left with his money; I'm not in the sa boat!"
...
Honestly, the cellphone market had only just begun. What they saw at the mont was totally irrelevant.
With advances in production technology, the costs of cell phones were decreasing. In just a few years, most phone prices would drop below three hundred bucks.
By then, the most profitable players would be the service providers.
Unfortunately, making that business work in the U.S. was nearly impossible. Forget the nurous service providers; even if you managed to consolidate them, the Departnt of Justice would still co down hard on you.
Regardless, receiving this news during the year-end cash crunch, William White was quite pleased.
If necessary, those stocks could still be leveraged. That's just how financial gas were played in Arica; you could get your hands back on liquid assets without selling your stocks.
What, high-interest rates?
Well, that depended on how you calculated. If profits were substantial enough, those rates could be ignored. Even without interest, you'd still have to pay taxes.
So, unless there were deep-seated grudges, usually people wouldn't short-sell stocks. That kind of move could damage reputations.
Once price support broke, banks would demand more collateral. If the prices plumted, banks might seek asset protection. At that point, you wouldn't even be able to avoid filing for bankruptcy protection.
...
Going toe-to-toe with Citigroup without suffering losses was quite impressive. People really began to get anxious. Seriously, was there sothing wrong with your conglorate? It couldn't be that easy.
What? Why hasn't William White made a move lately?
Cut it out; soone must have begged for rcy.
And as for who that was?
No need to guess too hard. A century-old establishnt? That's just absurd.
Generally speaking, as Christmas approached, the securities market tended to be relatively quiet, with low trading volus. Christmas '93 was no exception.
The only difference was the noticeable deviation in Nasdaq's tech stocks from this trend.
This was precisely why Citigroup was laying low; to be honest, the timing was inappropriate. Continuing down this path might genuinely stir up trouble.
Of course, the situation wasn't yet resolved. If they didn't provide an explanation, they shouldn't bla anyone if others took drastic asures.
Next ti, things might just get fatal.
What infuriated Citigroup the most was the distinctly ambiguous attitude of Morgan Stanley. As for Rockefeller, they had pulled their heads back into their shells.
White Oil didn't have many refineries. They could withstand the losses, but Rockefeller and his gang could not.
Actually, Morgan Stanley's ambiguous stance stemd from this issue too. They were General Motors' largest shareholder. If refined oil prices skyrocketed, cough, crying poor at the peanut gallery would be their only option.
Arica's auto industry was an unsolvable puzzle, with about five million people working in related companies.
The Big Blue had taken nearly eight billion to resolve just sixty thousand workers. If anything happened to these five million, the Fed's money printing presses would start smoking again.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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