[Chapter 679: Everyone Has Their Own Agenda]
In recent days, William White had become a high-flying executive. His business had expanded quite significantly, and now, at this awkward moment, it was the perfect opportunity for an inspection.
"Sir, is Barry Diller really leaving?"
William White couldn't help but smile wryly; he just didn't understand this guy's thought process. Was starting a business really that easy?
"Yes, Jason will be taking over temporarily. Your think tank needs to keep an eye on the mid-level staff; this time, I'm not planning to hire from outside."
"Got it, sir. Jason is actually a solid choice."
"It's tough. Besides, he doesn't even really like it. You didn't know? That guy prefers manufacturing."
Filson was at a loss for words; what kind of position was the CEO of NBC anyway? What factory could even compare?
General Motors?
Ha! Different from them, just because GM was strong didn't mean they were top-notch across the board.
"Sir, in recent days, stocks related to the North American Trade Area have seen a clear rise. It looks like Washington should be wrapping up negotiations soon."
"Is this considered insider trading?"
Filson chuckled; for individual retail investors, it really might seem suspicious. Unless one could definitively prove that the information was gathered through public channels, penalties were inevitable.
If one lost money, it wouldn't be so bad; if one made a profit, fines of ten times or more would certainly make one question life itself.
So, in the U.S. securities market, the best options were either to buy mutual funds or invest for the long term. Short-term speculation not only incurred taxes, but one's account could also be monitored at any time.
"Sir, there are hardly any retail investors left. After getting burned time and time again, it seems like the fools are all wiped out. As for those who are smart, they might end up in prison."
"Heh, that's true. By the way, isn't the North American Trade Area basically just three countries?"
"Yeah, only Mexico really matters; Canada is just a provider of raw materials. Also, we believe this might be Washington's attitude. The establishment of the Eurozone is a done deal, and I think the Fed and the big-wigs at Pentagon must be quite displeased."
William White thought to himself, displeased doesn't even begin to cover it. Greenspan might be so mad he's gone crazy. If possible, he would surely want to stop it, but back then, while Americans could be shameless, they still had some pride. If they had no pride at all, then that kind of behavior would only come after the subprime mortgage crisis.
"In that case, we need to accelerate our layout in Europe. If my estimations are correct, they should teach the Europeans a lesson."
"Understood, sir. I'll start buying marks right away."
"Filson, this North American Free Trade Area is actually a joke. I'm not optimistic about its long-term prospects. Canada doesn't have enough population, and its consumer potential is very limited. As for Mexico, just look at Los Angeles and you'll understand; the number of people arrested by the police who are of Mexican descent is basically on par with their Black counterparts."
Aside from the skin color difference, they were pretty much the same. Isn't our Tesla subsidiary like that? Their production efficiency is far behind that of Asia and Canada.
"Sir, in that case, we must arrange a backup plan. Car sales have been decent lately; if Mexico doesn't work out, we still need to consider other places."
"Sigh, there's no choice. Let's just go to Hamburg."
"Alright, I'll start looking for locations right away." Filson actually wanted to say, at least set up a factory in America. If there wasn't a single one, it would be easy to get criticized. Even if not in the U.S., wouldn't he consider expanding the branches in Canada and Mexico?
The free trade zone talks were buzzing; at least give them some respect. If they weren't setting up in a free trade zone, that was a significant investment. Now that they were pursuing a free trade zone, how could he rationalize investing in European factories?
Seriously, it was a slap in the face.
In fact, William White didn't really have a high regard for this free trade zone. Aside from American manufacturing, many companies in Japan also had plans to set up factories. This, in turn, would inevitably increase wage expenditures.
Higher wages weren't the end of the world. However, there were only so many suitable workers, so what could be done?
...
William White planned to linger in New York for a few days. Barry Diller was leaving, and Jason, being so young, would have a hard time keeping the scene under control without William's support.
While he was busy with his own affairs, others were not idle either. Buffett had begun his bottom-fishing campaign, and Soros was keeping an eye on the fat sheep across the Atlantic.
"Charlie, is Coca-Cola planning any stock distribution?"
"No, Warren, there was initially, but the White Foundation opposed it. If Coca-Cola needed funds, they could swallow the whole thing themselves."
"This greedy cowboy, doesn't he realize that being a lone wolf leads to isolation?" Buffett was quite irritated; he had lost count of how many times he had planned to purchase Coca-Cola.
"Warren, it's only Pepsi left. They do have shares, but they're not on the board."
"Nothing's leaking? That bastard is truly impeccable."
"Old pal, similar situations aren't rare in his foundation. It wasn't a problem before; now it's even less of an issue."
"Oh, Charlie, what has he done now?" Charlie Munger was his good buddy; Buffett didn't need to beat around the bush.
"It's like this; William White must have reallocated his assets. The recent volatility in the stock market was likely due to him playing both sides. By the end of the year, the circulation shareholders for many companies will change."
"Wait, you mean he gave a lot of shares to his children?"
"There's no proof, but that's probably the case. The offshore trust companies popping up have a rather strange timeline."
"That bastard, isn't he a Christian? Who knows if he went to repent."
Charlie was speechless. Who was he to criticize others? It wasn't like William White had ever been married. That was something you couldn't say, considering the open lifestyle you had.
"Alright, Charlie, let's go talk to Pepsi. Sigh, too bad their cola is really too sweet. Can't these bastards make a drink that's a bit safer?"
Hearing that the old rogue planned to invest in Pepsi, William White was delighted. Ha-ha, surely Pepsi didn't have a cherry flavor, right? Always posing and pretending all day long.
Stocks mogul this and that; it was all nonsense. The old guy rarely bought stocks on the secondary market, so of course, he had a lot of advantages.
*****
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