Chapter 76: Timing
Jisiweier Road No. 76.
Li Shiqun was a bit confused even after hanging up the phone.
“Is this a real seal-up or a fake one?”
He doesn’t do stock trading, nor does he care about the stock market. He’s busy handling Military Statistics Bureau matters now, and whether prices outside rise or not has nothing to do with him, so he can’t understand Fu Xiao’an’s intentions at all.
By common sense, Fu Xiao’an couldn’t possibly ask him to seal up the warehouses, let alone all of them.
But from the meaning in the words, it did seem like they really needed to be sealed up. Very contradictory.
He had already contacted Wu Sibao about the matter and knew the starting point was a business deal that Gu Yansheng had Wu Sibao do, and his own wife was involved too.
With Gu Yansheng making a move and involving Fu Xiao’an, it could definitely be confirmed as internal strife.
Combined with the recent much-talked-about Judicial Department new policy incident, he could roughly guess the positions of the two groups.
Simply from the perspective of gaining benefits, helping Fu Xiao’an now might not earn Fu Xiao’an’s favor, because Wu Sibao was at fault first.
But helping Gu Yansheng would earn Gu Yansheng’s favor, and this was also what the Japanese hoped for.
So although the matter wasn’t clear, the choice itself wasn’t hard to make.
He picked up the phone and called Wu Sibao: “Sibao, strictly execute the seal-up of the warehouses. Without my order, seal up no matter who pleads! Make the momentum as big as possible, big enough to let the Japanese know that Agent Headquarters is involved in this matter.”
All parties had decided what to do, and the final impact appeared in the stock market.
Zhongye Public Office, Shanghai citizens stared in shock at the cotton yarn futures price.
They originally thought 70 silver dollars for winter cotton yarn was already low enough, that was the stable price before prices rose, it had stabilized just now too. Hearing that Fu Xiao’an wasn’t stepping down after all, that was false news. The Japanese couldn’t possibly do forced requisition; high Japanese officials had personally come forward to clarify.
Veteran stockholders even speculated that Fu Xiao’an was rigging the market himself: first sell off goods, then after selling, deliberately have the warehouses sealed to release negative news, kill down to trick cheap chips, then after collecting chips, cooperate with the Japanese for a clarification, definitely pull up, and then sell off another wave to make money twice.
The analysis made perfect sense and was entirely reasonable, so the cotton yarn price pulled back from 60 silver dollars to 90, even heading toward 100.
Who knew that in just a moment, the situation changed dramatically.
Not to mention 70 silver dollars, even 60 didn’t hold for 10 minutes before being broken through.
Low enough? There’s still 55.
Midwinter, have you ever seen 50 silver dollars cotton yarn?
Never seen? That’s right, open your eyes, there’s even 45 silver dollars.
They originally thought 45 silver dollars absolutely wouldn’t fall further—that was the price even for summer cotton yarn. A group decided to bottom fish, and this group finally learned what it means to bottom fish at the mountaintop.
Forty silver dollars, just forty gets you one cotton yarn option.
Want it? No? There’s still thirty-eight.
Thirty-five, want it?
Screw it, bottom fishing down to the eighteenth layer of hell and still no bottom.
Falling without end, the price was still falling, couldn’t see the bottom at all.
“Is Fu Xiao’an going to step down again?”
“The Japanese forced requisition must be real, those major investors must be spreading false news to trick people to take over! We got tricked!”
“Where are the ones saying Fu Xiao’an won’t step down? Come out, let me see what you look like.”
“I knew this wasn’t normal, good thing I didn’t participate earlier, oh man, if I had, I’d be jumping into the Huangpu River right now.”
“If you’re no good, just admit it. If you really were bearish, you should’ve bought short, and you’d get rich.”
“This is being bearish without short selling, what do you know.”
Judicial Department, Gu Yansheng’s office.
The stock market’s latest prices came through the radio bulletin into Gu Yansheng’s ears.
Gu Yansheng sipped coffee, thinking how his current style was so like Old Jiang.
Old Jiang listened to war reports while listening to the stock market; he worked while listening to the stock market.
“. Still falling, cotton yarn futures’ latest price has dropped to thirty-five silver dollars. Winter cotton yarn price actually dropping to thirty-five, stockholders are blessed. This price is absolutely bottom price. Buy one hand of cotton yarn now, you could earn over 100. Stockholder friends, the time to bottom fish like the main force has come, don’t hesitate.”
Listening to the latest cotton yarn price from the radio, thirty-five silver dollars.
Gu Yansheng picked up the phone and called the No. 76 team members waiting at the Zhongye Public Office entrance.
He ordered: “The list given to you this morning, go to the Zhongye Public Office counter and redeem every single one, don’t leave any. Be quick.”
Wu Sibao’s mobilization, Fu Xiao’an’s warehouses being sealed, arranging people to deliberately spread panic messages inside Zhongye Public Office would inevitably cause stock price to fall.
The events in this part were also the entirety of the price fluctuation that Gu Yansheng could control.
As for the remaining time, whether cotton yarn price fell or rose, he wouldn’t participate. Inside information, only take certain revenue.
“Got it, Director Gu, we’ll go sell right away.”
“Mm, after selling, take the money and go back first. You’re done here.”
“Got it.”
Hearing the reply, Gu Yansheng hung up and redialed to call Lu Bowen.
“Come over now, right away.”
“What’s up?”
Lu Bowen arrived in a rush too.
Gu Yansheng took out the money box worth eighty thousand silver dollars from Wu Sibao and pushed it to him.
“Li Shiqun is interrogating the Military Statistics Bureau, Wu Sibao is sealing up the warehouses, Fu Xiao’an is studying the stock market, the Japanese are watching the new policy, Shanghai rumors are spreading, now panic everywhere. The best timing has arrived.
With Japanese army forced requisition, plenty of people will want to dump their hot potatoes. Go acquire cotton yarn now, they won’t even want receipts. Start receiving goods, try to wrap it up within two days.”
Lu Bowen got it immediately upon hearing, lightly slapped the table and stood: “I’ll move right away. That means those people might think this deal can’t see the light, need to avoid the Japanese, probably won’t care about the buyer’s identity. Do you think I should buy personally, or have my men step forward?”
“Either works.” Gu Yansheng patted the leather suitcase: “No matter how you buy, I set a few lines for you. First, buy cheap, haggling down is normal. Second, many sources, to prevent tracing. Third, spend all the money here, I need to share with someone.”
Lu Bowen originally thought this was money from selling short positions, but upon opening it, he was stunned. “How is there so much? Doubled?”
“Wu Sibao’s money, just buy with it. So it doesn’t matter much if you step forward or your men, because Wu Sibao will know anyway it’s me buying, and he’s one of the bosses.”
“Oh~” Lu Bowen suddenly realized: “You’re taking advantage of the low cotton yarn price now to pull Wu Sibao in to make money together. So even if he finds out you’re buying cotton yarn, he won’t think part of it disappeared. Hiding in plain sight? Right?”
Gu Yansheng chuckled lightly and instructed the last point: “So you need multiple warehouses, store separately. Especially the stuff we’re sending out, store alone. The rest split into several warehouses, I still need to review the results with Wu Sibao.”
Lu Bowen slapped his palm, his gaze at Gu Yansheng full of undisguised admiration. “Good plan, good scheme. Don’t mention outsiders not knowing, even I thought at first you were just fishing in the stock market to save up money to buy cotton yarn. Didn’t expect you to be this good, even turning Wu Sibao into an ally for buying cotton yarn. Oh, and his money helped us buy clothes too?
Yansheng, good thing we’re on the same boat, otherwise I’d fall into your hands someday, get sold and still count money for you.”
“This is making the best use of talent.” Gu Yansheng smiled: “Wu Sibao is fortunate to contribute a few clothes for our warriors, a blessing for three lifetimes, helping him accumulate virtue. As for you, no difference, you’re counting money anyway.”
Lu Bowen was indeed counting money, paused upon hearing and gave a white-eyed look, then smiled and continued counting.
“How much?”
“Eighty thousand silver dollars, about twenty thousand US dollars.”
Gu Yansheng took out the copied list of cotton yarn business firm and rice business firm addresses. “Cotton yarn and grain warehouse addresses and who the bosses are, all listed here. Go directly or send men to ask, buy whichever looks cheaper.
If you run into Wu Sibao’s people, just say it’s my business, have them come later. If others, ignore them. If they ask too much, say it’s Agent Headquarters, let them verify with Li Shiqun.
Cotton yarn we’ll split with Wu Sibao later, keep the rice for future business. After this, rice prices will rise back, your business should do well. Also a lesson for those hoarding and price gouging.”
Lu Bowen nodded, closed the money box, and said solemnly: “Alright, I’ll get it done for sure.”
