Waking up at five o'clock.
Arriving at the company by six to hold an analysts' meeting and issue trading instructions.
At seven, the Singapore stock market opens.
By eight, the Japanese stock market opens.
At nine, continue monitoring the market to essentially confirm the day's general trend and begin to read various reports submitted by the analyst team.
Over a few months, such a fixed daily routine has formed.
However, the winter in Melbourne at the end of June makes her somewhat resentful towards a certain individual. She dislikes the cold and prefers to sleep in during winter.
Her father and elder brother, familiar with her nature, even suggested she could move to Singapore if the cold was too much to bear.
But she wouldn't.
What if he came looking for her in Australia and couldn't find her?
She likes that she can still have such naïve thoughts like a little girl, which makes her even more determined.
However, if the prince doesn't come looking for the princess, she might have to turn into a dragon and fly over to devour that certain individual.
Well.
Not entirely devour.
She would miss him too much.
At least leave him alive.
In the Johnston Holdings headquarters building on Elizabeth Street in the center of Melbourne, Janet stands by the office window, holding the latest balance sheet of Columbia Savings & Loan, chuckling at the thought that just crossed her mind and then focusing back on the document.
On the 22nd of last month, after maintaining ultra-low interest rates for over two years, the Bank of Japan finally made a belated first rate hike, raising the benchmark interest rate from 2.5% to 3.5% in one go.
Many see this rate hike as a crucial turning point for the Japanese stock market, which indeed caused continuous fluctuations in the Japanese stock and real estate markets for a month.
However, the Japanese stock market overall still showed an upward trend amidst the fluctuations.
As of yesterday's close, the Nikkei 225 index reached 36,723 points, leaving Cersei Capital with just 277 points of wiggle room before reaching their exit index of 37,000 points. Unless unforeseen, Cersei Capital will start liquidating their various investment portfolios by early July at the latest.
The turbulence in the Japanese financial market has significantly increased the risk.
Under the joint restraint of Simon and Anthony, Janet couldn't continue her frenzied operations, and Cersei Capital's operations started to lean towards conservatism.
Opportunely, the financial turmoil triggered by the Bank of Japan's rate hike caused a significant increase in short capital, allowing Cersei Capital to aggressively establish long positions in Nikkei 225 stock index futures. Over the past month, Cersei Capital has amassed a total value of $13.6 billion in long contracts for Nikkei 225 futures on the Singapore and Osaka exchanges, leveraging ten times.
The massive long position of $13.6 billion means that every percentage point fluctuation in the Nikkei 225 index could lead to a profit or loss of $136 million for Cersei Capital.
On May 22, the day the Bank of Japan announced the rate hike, the index was around 36,100 points.
Based on this, there's a potential 5% increase in the Japanese stock market until Cersei Capital completely exits at 38,000 points. Even though they'll start liquidating at 37,000 points, Cersei Capital still expects to profit by at least $500 million during this process.
Cersei Capital's futures contracts only utilized about half of their funds, with the other half invested in financial product portfolios also expected to yield significant profits.
Last week, Cersei Capital's net asset value was $2.51 billion. Including the upcoming profits, compared to the initial capital of $1.57 billion, Cersei Capital's net asset value is expected to double after the first phase of operations in the Japanese financial market.
Of course, all this is based on Simon's predictions being accurate.
The reason Cersei Capital was able to profit nearly $1 billion in the past few months is fundamentally based on Simon's judgments. If not for Simon's steadfast bullish stance on the Japanese stock market, Cersei Capital wouldn't have adopted what others see as a very aggressive operational strategy.
For example, while the general forecast is for the Japanese stock market to falter, many hedge funds would not exceed 30% of their financial strength in long positions, most likely only 10% or 20%. Additionally, for safety, other hedge funds typically adopt a two-way position strategy, holding both long and short contracts to hedge potential risks.
Such operational strategies can minimize risk but also mean the fund's profits won't be very high.
In contrast, Cersei Capital's $13.6 billion worth of long contracts exceed over 50% of their total value, maintaining a net long position. Thus, Cersei Capital's current "conservatism" is only relative to Janet's previous frenzy.
Without firm confidence in the market, few hedge funds would adopt Cersei Capital's current strategy.
Cersei Capital's confidence comes from Simon.
The miraculous operation in the North American stock market two years ago and the nearly $1 billion profit in the past few months have solidified the partners' unwavering support for Simon, bordering on blind faith.
Now, as Cersei Capital's first phase of operations nears its end, Janet starts preparing to shift focus to North America.
Columbia Savings & Loan is one of the biggest clients of the "Junk Bond King" Michael Milken in recent years. The total issuance volume of junk bonds in North America is around $200 billion, with Columbia Savings & Loan alone holding over $6 billion in junk bonds. Recent investigations have shown these bonds carry much higher risks than their surface ratings suggest.
If the North American junk bond market collapses, Columbia Savings & Loan will be hit hard.
Additionally, Cersei Capital has gathered several cases similar to Columbia Savings & Loan during this period.
The $200 billion junk bond market, along with companies like Columbia Savings & Loan, provides enough "fat" for Cersei Capital to feast upon after shifting its focus to North America.
As she ponders these matters, the office door opens, and Janet turns to see the man who has haunted her dreams smiling as he approaches.
A hallucination?
"Janet."
The man calls her by her name and comes closer. Feeling his presence, she finally realizes it's not a hallucination.
She tosses the document aside and wraps herself around him.
After some time, with Janet still nibbling on Simon like a mouse, Anthony Johnston, hearing the news, rushes over from his office.
Simon, holding Janet, heads out, greeting Anthony Johnston, "Tony, I'll leave this to you."
Anthony Johnston smiles and nods, relieved that Simon has come to visit his sister and pleased with their affection. Accompanying Simon and Janet through the office area, he offers, "I'll have the driver take you, and how about dinner at home tonight?"
Simon, cuddling Janet's face against his, replies, "Let's talk about it later. Give us some time alone first."
Anthony Johnston has no objections and cheerfully says, "Sure, come home whenever you're free."
As they chat, the trio takes the private elevator to the underground parking garage.
Anthony Johnston hands his car keys to Neil Bennett, who came with Simon, watching his sister and future brother-in-law leave before returning to
his office.
Raymond Johnston is currently in Western Australia for business, so Anthony Johnston calls Perth to inform their father about Simon's arrival in Australia. He also calls the family mansion and then takes Janet's place to monitor the markets.
Originally responsible for the family's European operations, Anthony has been in Melbourne for months to help Simon and Janet manage Cersei Capital, accumulating a wealth of financial knowledge.
However, Anthony mainly oversees rather than issuing trading instructions like Janet. His primary role is managing Cersei Capital's finances, as Simon specifically requested to avoid a repeat of the Barings Bank collapse caused by traders acting independently.
Seeing the usually formidable "female demon" clinging to a man and being carried away, the office staff whisper among themselves, sharing gossip about their bosses before returning to work. Some find an excuse to leave the office temporarily, spreading the news of Simon Westeros's sudden arrival in Australia through various channels.
Within just an hour, the news of Simon Westeros appearing in Melbourne spreads in certain well-informed capital circles.
Since Simon's operation in the 1987 North American futures market, despite his absence from Melbourne, Cersei Capital remains a target many capital forces attempt to infiltrate and follow.
Although Cersei Capital's detailed operations remain confidential under Anthony's strict supervision, the hedge fund's performance is undeniable.
From February to now, in just four months, Cersei Capital's profit rate has exceeded 60%, a goal many hedge funds struggle to achieve in a year. Although Simon Westeros hasn't replicated the frenzy of 1987, no one dares to underestimate such performance.
Compared to the aggressive approach in previous months, since the Bank of Japan's rate hike, the Japanese stock market has been volatile, and the industry has been looking for a clear signal of a real crash.
Now, with Simon Westeros's sudden return to Melbourne, it likely signifies a major move by Cersei Capital.
Clearly, this must be related to the Japanese stock market.
Is the real turning point coming?
Simon and Janet, retreating to their villa on the Yarra River's northern banks, stay indoors all day, cuddling in bed like mice hibernating, not venturing outside.
Even dinner is delivered from the main house by servants sent by Janet's mother, concerned they might starve.
Holding Janet, Simon feels the restlessness he experienced in Los Angeles gradually subside. He realizes the woman in his arms is truly where his heart belongs. Simon also admits that, despite living twice as a man, he isn't as strong as he imagined, with a sense of alienation and insecurity towards the world never fully dissipating.
The following evening, as they prepare to continue their seclusion, Anthony Johnston personally comes to fetch them.
Simon and Janet's affection pleases Anthony, but the fund's $70 million loss in profits in a single day is distressing, equivalent to the annual net profit of many large enterprises. Although he has a general understanding of the operational strategy from Simon, his sudden arrival raises questions: is he planning to change the original plan and have Cersei Capital cash out early, as the outside world speculates?
Regardless, they need to discuss.
Janet wishes she could spend the entire winter in bed with Simon, annoyed by her brother's interruption. Simon gently soothes Janet's mood, and after getting ready, they head to the main house for dinner to discuss Cersei Capital's matters.
Simon's sudden trip unknowingly impacts the Japanese stock market, causing intense fluctuations in trading volume on the Japanese and Singapore exchanges on June 23, leading to significant market volatility.
Many caught off guard by the market's sudden swings engage in panic trading, exacerbating the fluctuations.
By the end of the day, compared to the previous day's high of 36,723 points, the Nikkei 225 index falls to 36,537 points, driven by an unusually high number of long sell orders and short buy orders, along with a surge of stock sell orders, dropping nearly 200 points.
Cersei Capital, naturally, is not spared from the turmoil.
With the boss unexpectedly stepping back, frontline traders unable to issue instructions on the fly find themselves in a predicament.
Thus, a seemingly insignificant 0.5% daily drop in the market directly results in over $70 million in paper losses for Cersei Capital.
Fortunately, it's Friday.
Otherwise, it's hard to imagine whether the market, spurred by Simon Westeros's unexpected visit to Australia, would have completely collapsed the Japanese stock market.
Cersei Capital's actions can't be kept entirely secret, with shadow following operations already amounting to tens of billions of dollars. Although most capital doesn't dare to be as bold as Cersei Capital, the overall sentiment remains bullish on the Japanese stock market.
Today's scare leaves many unsettled.
Unable to contact Simon Westeros directly, the Johnston family, along with Amy in Los Angeles, James Redbird in New York, and others, become the focus of inquiries, with some no longer hiding the fact they're following Cersei Capital's lead.
The question now is, is Cersei Capital really about to exit?
If so, everyone plans to flee on Monday.
If not, measures must be taken to stabilize the market.
Unaware of the significant impact his impromptu trip has on the Japanese stock market, Simon, with Janet, returns to their villa on the Yarra River's northern banks, spending the day together in bed, not leaving the house.
Dinner is sent over by Janet's mother, worried the couple might harm their health by fasting.
Holding Janet, Simon's restlessness from Los Angeles eases, reaffirming that the woman in his arms is indeed his place of peace. Simon must admit, despite living through two lifetimes, he isn't as invincible as he imagined, with an underlying sense of detachment and insecurity towards the world never fully fading.
Into the next evening, as they prepare to continue their seclusion, Anthony Johnston personally arrives to summon them.
Simon and Janet's affection warms Anthony's heart, but the fund's $70 million loss in a single day is distressingly significant, equivalent to the annual net profits of many large corporations. Although he's roughly aware of the operational plan from Simon, his sudden visit raises speculation: is he planning to alter the original strategy and have Cersei Capital cash out early, as rumors suggest?
In any case, a discussion is necessary.
Janet, wishing she could spend the entire winter in bed with Simon, is displeased with her brother's interruption. Simon tenderly calms Janet's mood, and after freshening up, they head to the main house for dinner, also taking the opportunity to discuss Cersei Capital's matters.
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