[Chapter 605: I Absolutely Detest Following Trends]
The trading of gold and pounds surged sharply, and the financial industry couldn't afford to ignore it. For small to medium-sized banks, it might just be a liquidity issue, but for issuing banks, the volatile price of gold was definitely not good news.
"Sir, there's a massive influx of trend-followers; we currently only have three and a half billion in chips. If we don't increase our investment, the leverage ratio will be too high," one of the analysts reported.
Soros was feeling frustrated. Clearly, the calling power of the richest man was something formidable. The White Fund had started short-selling the pound, which infuriated and heightened the alertness of the English.
"Do you know what's going on? There's no reason for such a grand display; it doesn't align with that guy's character."
"Sir, it seems Hong Kong isn't too keen on this mobile communications figure. Or maybe they're planning to resell the mobile phone licenses."
Soros nearly stumbled at that news. What the hell was this? Was this meant to throw the British off his game?
Well, Soros wasn't wrong. Since there was now a motive to act, William White wouldn't hold back.
Faced with the imposing William White, England urgently called in twenty billion pounds.
Damn it, can't we just talk this out? Why is it always like this? They weren't just dealing with William White. As soon as the White Fund made its move, a swarm of other funds rushed in.
"Sir, they can't hold out. Every hour, England needs one billion pounds, and with hot money pouring in, this situation could collapse."
"Damn it! Why is this happening? I'm not prepared. The pound is my game. That damn bastard!"
Soros's cries couldn't reach William White, nor would he care if they did. It was just short-selling, right? If I'm not entangled with you in gold, don't think you can profit at my expense.
He was very certain now, if Soros wasn't crazy, he would have to think twice about going in. To short-sell both gold and the pound -- only ten years later might he have that kind of ability.
As for now?
If he didn't want to blow his position, he might as well hang back and play subservient.
...
"Dad, what has the British gone mad over? Has they lost their minds?"
"Ha, son, it's important to look deeper than the surface. The most awkward situation seems to be those idiots at the Fed."
Bush Jr. was feeling a bit bewildered. Information truly shapes one's perspective. Pressuring gold and the pound was the established plan of Washington, and Soros was merely the executor.
Clearly, when you hit gold, it affected William White's wallet. This guy knew he was helpless, leading to a direct ignition of the pound crisis.
Well, with things taking such a strange turn, Washington had no strength to criticize and couldn't afford to take a stand. After all, you can't just say, "William White, you go ahead and play, this doesn't concern you."
Most importantly, there seemed to be a Leo Wanta involved. Without that guy stirring the pot, the futures market would never have such a large position.
Bush Sr. knew about this person. However, he wasn't a trusted confidant; he truly had no standing to do anything about it.
As president, he was fully aware of this guy's significance. The collapse of the Soviet economy these years had largely been his doing. Except, this guy seemed to be a bit out of control.
What's ridiculous is that the CIA idiots actually think it's basically manageable. They not only didn't take precautions but continued to facilitate things.
"Son, as long as the British withdraws from that comprehensive currency plan, William White will abdicate immediately. Those license fees in Hong Kong are not the critical issue."
"Oh, so that's how it is. So, is Soros on our side?"
"Heh, that depends on how you interpret it. William White thinks he isn't. Haha, this guy is merely the rabid dog of the Fed. Isn't it funny? The Fed and us are clearly not in the same league."
Bush Sr. didn't say much more; he increasingly valued William White. Haha, in a certain sense, the Fed should be grateful. While attacking the pound, he was indirectly strengthening the dollar's position.
...
"Sir, there are way too many trend-followers; if we shake this up now, it's hard to imagine."
"Tsk, where on earth are all these trend-followers coming from? Isn't Soros short on cash?"
"Sir, it's impossible to trace. We estimate that the Brits can hold out only one more day at most."
"One day? These guys still have quite a stash of cash. By the way, has any official stepped in to comment?"
"There is one, but they're not high-ranking. They spouted some meaningless drivel."
"Sigh, our position is too heavy; let's lower the leverage a bit. If we can drop the exchange rate by 5%, that'll be good enough. It's not worthwhile to go all out. With so many trend-followers, I can't really teach Soros a lesson."
"Understood, sir. I'll do it right away."
William White's sudden outbreak had a lot of randomness to it. To be frank, he wanted to see how far Soros could bend.
Indeed, as long as events were counterintuitive, Soros could do nothing. William White had already decided that next time he faced off against this guy, he mustn't play by the usual rules.
...
As for the hegemony of the U.S., England was feeling quite stifled. In their view, if it hadn't been for the meddling of the French, these cowboys would have been toast long ago.
Damn it, now they could only passively resist; it's essentially the same thing. What they claimed was resistance seemed more like a change in posture to them.
The U.S. knew very well what it disliked. The tearing down of the Berlin Wall was not something they welcomed, but they conveniently couldn't stop it.
Of course, England didn't want to see it. Don't talk about being the world's top dog; in Europe, they were only in third place. Given the current situation, that gap is only going to widen.
Wealthy European nations couldn't match the U.S. not from military to economic status. They were just a vassal state.
However, if they chose to band together, tsk tsk, the U.S. would be in for a lot of trouble. Today could be a pegged exchange rate; tomorrow, there could be a unified currency. If you add a coordinating agency onto that, tsk tsk, that's a grand confederation.
When it comes to global competitiveness, the European coalition is still quite formidable. Back during WWII, they were merely squabbling; otherwise, the U.S. wouldn't have had a chance.
Now, was this truly the intention of the U.S.? Or simply the personal actions of that guy?
That Leo Wanta and Soros clearly had the fingerprints of the CIA on them. It was evident that William White wasn't one of them; how should we interpret his actions this time?
A warning or a threat?
...
Back at home, seeing two noticeably bigger pregnant ladies, William White felt happy. Both of these beauties were very concerned about their babies and weren't following any strict dieting.
"Don't just look; that's your sons' food! Why's the drool flowing?"
The little beauty, Michelle Reis, was still very sprightly. It seemed time had forgotten her; anyway, there were no traces of age on her face.
"Tsk tsk, that's really big, like blowing up a balloon." William White smirked, his intentions far from innocent.
"Humph, hurry up and wash your hands for dinner; your sons are hungry."
In comparison, Suzuki was more gentle. Well, there's definitely something unique about her.
*****
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