Oprah asked seriously, "Alright, we all have your assurance, William, you better mean it. So why do you think the stock market will continue to fall?"
She knew it was inappropriate to discuss such matters when most people were in despair, but for the sake of the show's topic, she had to ask. After all, today's theme was to chat with William about the stock market.
William thought for a moment and shook his head. He had said enough. He came today just to explain that he wouldn't re-enter the futures market. There was no need to offend those capitalists for money.
After thinking it through, he said, "I'm not a professional analyst. I can only speak from my own understanding. First, there's no money in the market. Second, there's no confidence in the market. As long as the stock market rises a bit, it will be suppressed by those wanting to pay off loans. So, confidence is very important."
Seeing that William didn't want to elaborate, Oprah didn't press further on this issue. She didn't want to dwell too much on it either. "Well then, William, do you have any advice for everyone? After all, you are one of the few who made a lot of money during this crash."
William smiled and said, "I won't give you any advice because even if I do, no one will believe it. After all, I'm very young. People always think I got lucky and made a big fortune by sheer chance."
"Hahaha," the audience laughed loudly. To them, this self-deprecating humor from a rich man like William was quite amusing.
"I don't really think I'm smarter than others to the point where I can tell others what to do. That would only make people dislike me.
I just followed Buffett's advice to exit when others were crazy. So I sold my game and moved into the futures market.
Now, I came to the USA following his second advice: to enter when others retreat. So what I want to say is, although the market is still in a dark period, its prospects are very bright. I am confident."
The audience responded with enthusiastic applause. Hearing this, everyone felt a lot more favorable towards William. Although he had said some things they didn't like to hear, his overall humble, cautious, and unassuming personality was well-received for someone who made a lot of money.
If he had made money and was arrogant, he would be extremely annoying. William attributing his success to God and Buffett had already taken effect. Seeing many middle-aged people in the audience not looking as annoyed as before was proof.
After the audience quieted down, Oprah smiled and said, "Thank you, William. You are a good young man, a smart guy. Perhaps Mr. Buffett will invite you to a Buffett lunch after watching this show."
"Oh, really?" William looked surprised. "I do have a lot of questions to ask him. If he really invites me to dinner, it would be my honor."
Damn honor. William knew that old man had no interest in tech stocks. Asking him for advice was less useful than talking to tech company CEOs. In these tough times, maybe William could directly buy some shares of the tech stocks he favored. He didn't need much, just 5% to start.
He was even willing to give voting rights to the founders, as long as they agreed to equal shares with him. This way, he could prevent those founders from causing trouble midway.
Oprah and the audience were amused by William's expression. "Of course, William. I have talked with Mr. Buffett. He is a loyal viewer of my show."
"Next question, William. I heard you made over 2 billion dollars in Japan. Is that true?"
The audience gasped at this question. Two billion, my God, how much money is that? They thought William was just a billionaire, but Oprah's question implied that he made far more than that during this crash.
"Alright, I knew you would ask this question," William said after thinking for a few seconds. "I do have an amount of 2 billion, but—"
The audience didn't wait for William to finish and erupted. William even heard some people cursing.
After receiving Oprah's show script yesterday, William called his Swiss private advisor, Phillips, to confirm that his 2 billion dollars wouldn't have any issues. Only then did he mention it on the show.
He knew that if he were to invest in the future, people would eventually know about this money. Instead of letting people speculate and doubt, it was better to disclose it himself. Anyway, the money was legal.
Even if there were disputes, lawyers would handle them. He spent so much money annually on the prestigious law firm, it wasn't for nothing. His lawyers had long prepared for his tax declarations.
His private lawyer, Anthony, had patted his chest and assured him.
"Quiet, thank you. Please be quiet so we can hear William out, okay?" Oprah had to remind the audience to quiet down.
After the audience settled, Oprah said, "Okay, William, you can continue."
William nodded in thanks to the audience and said, "Thank you. I know people are curious about where I made this money, how I made it, whether I need to pay taxes, and how much. But I'm sorry, I have to praise the Swiss National Bank here. They are indeed the best bank in the world.
This money wasn't made in Japan. This 2 billion dollars were made through a futures bet with the Swiss National Bank in the British Virgin Islands. To put it simply, this money was earned from the bank, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. Thank you."
Oprah, surprised, said, "So, the money was directly traded in an offshore island, without going through any other country, so you don't need to pay any taxes?"
William nodded and said, "That's roughly what it means. My lawyer and the bank's private manager told me it's a legal transaction."
"Alright, this really surprises me. William, can I ask you how much you made in total during this crash?"
This question made him ponder. After the 2 billion dollars in Japan was leaked, he knew people could roughly guess how much he made. Now there was no need to hide it.
The first time he bought futures and made 82 million dollars, the second time he shorted and made 3.416 billion dollars, totaling almost 3.5 billion. Adding the principal of 350 million.
"About 3.5 billion dollars, I think. The exact amount will be known after taxes," William said uncertainly.
"Damn, you're like God's child. You robbed all the ordinary shareholders' money worldwide. You should go to hell, William Devonshire," a middle-aged man suddenly stood up and cursed at William.
"No, I don't think I robbed ordinary shareholders. You must understand, buddy, I was betting futures with institutions and financial companies. To prevent ordinary shareholders from betting with banks, my futures agreement with the Swiss National Bank required a minimum of 100 lots to trade.
I don't think ordinary shareholders can afford 100 lots of stock index futures. Do you know how much 100 lots is? I'll tell you, it's 126.2 million dollars."
The guy who was cursing him just now thought for a moment and then shouted, "So, your futures contracts exceeded 11 billion dollars. God, you're crazy! And the bank is crazy too! How dare they give you 33 times leverage to short in March? God, this is insane. No wonder you made 3.5 billion dollars. If it were me, I could make that much too. God, you really are His illegitimate child."
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