[Chapter 787: John Bull's Continued Antics][Chapter 788: You Brought This on Yourself]
[T/N: As the British are leaving Hong Kong, they asked for special exemptions. The MC got irritated because of this, and created a documentary called The Past and Present of a Robber to air on NBC. And he short sold related UK based companies. He supported the Chinese side and in turn got shares from the company Jardines.]
[Chapter 789: The Powerful Inertia of History]
"Filson, just looking at your face tells me this can't be good."
"Uh, yeah, that's right. The OPEC meeting wrapped up without a consensus, and oil prices have taken another hit. Sir, getting back above twenty bucks a barrel seems nearly impossible in the near term."
"This outcome was expected. The desert oil tycoons are having a tough time. Besides ramping up oil production, do they have any other options?"
"Sir, most oil companies are going to be in the red. The situation is the worst it's been since the oil crisis began."
"Filson, I know what you want to say, but I won't change my viewpoint. I stand by my opinion. The Federal Reserve's actions are misguided; once real estate investments ease, these funds will surely seek safer investments."
"Alright, sir. The good news is, oil wells are practically being given away at this point."
"Then keep acquiring. I don't expect to surpass Rockefeller, but I should at least break into the top ten."
"Got it."
"Ha ha ha, lighten up, Filson. Not every investment has to be a winner. Just look at how the tech stocks are going wild."
"That's really the good news. The launch of ICQ has driven the entire IT industry. But those free email companies? They're really struggling -- their active users have plummeted. However, sir, if they can't clarify their profit model, they'll face challenges at IPO."
"Filson, that's not something to worry about right now. I've got some thoughts, although they're still a bit immature. Once we hit ten million active users, I'll definitely have it figured out. Ha ha ha, right now we're just burning cash. If those old-timers have an issue, they shouldn't bother investing."
When it came to investments, Filson could only admire the situation. They valued at five hundred million; if you wanted to invest, you could or couldn't.
Profit model? Doesn't exist. It's just 15% equity; the highest bidder wins. If you didn't have anything in your hands, you wouldn't even get a shot at investment. There were plenty of profitable companies in Silicon Valley, and they should definitely go invest in those. Some had valuations as low as a few hundred thousand.
William White wasn't worried about the IT industry. If they couldn't figure this out, that would be something unbelievable.
Silicon Valley had changed completely since then; some advanced, some didn't even show up. Overall, he genuinely liked the current state of affairs.
As for oil, William White couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. No matter how much he stirred the pot, oil prices just weren't budging.
Well, the richest man had such a small hand to play. No one cared about those pathetic production levels. At the end of the day, Uncle Sam needed oil prices to drop -- that was it. If you guys dared to be disobedient, you could go check out what happened to that fool from the desert.
The desert tycoons truly feared Uncle Sam. This was no joke; they didn't even need to send in troops -- just shuffling their democracy over was enough.
Seeing the tragedy in Rwanda sent shivers down the spines of desert oil tycoons.
We don't have so many people to lose. It's only been days, and I heard hundreds of thousands are already dead.
My God, what kind of hatred could lead to that? It's simply too exaggerated.
They say that democracy is wonderful, but just look at the desert tycoons; they still function as monarchies. It seemed nothing outrageous really happened.
Desert tycoons weren't stupid -- well, the truly foolish had already been taken down. They followed Uncle Sam's orders; otherwise, he'd play dirty -- that was that.
Do think about it; Uncle Sam didn't know about their differences with Israel? Every time they looked like they were about to win, Uncle Sam tipped the scales. After a few rounds, the desert oil tycoons had learned -- this was truly a giant pit. Even if they did win, Uncle Sam would retaliate, making it utterly pointless.
In the end, Uncle Sam's goal was to control oil. First of all, you couldn't trade gold; it had to be in U.S. dollars. Secondly, the price per barrel was something you had to listen to me about. Otherwise, believe me, I could easily replace you with someone more compliant.
"Filson, what does it mean to continue to suppress the price of oil?"
"I don't know; Rockefeller must be feeling the squeeze too. Yet they haven't gone on a lobbying spree in Washington."
"Before, they claimed it was for the Soviets, ha ha. Now that the Soviets are finished, who are they planning to deal with? As for Rockefeller, the old-timer is trying to rein in my interests; how could he not view the industry favorably? Uh oh, why haven't they spoken up recently?"
Filson chuckled bitterly. What can you say? You're planning to demolish Rockefeller Plaza, and what could they possibly say?
"They can hold on, but BP is in an awkward position. If Thatcher hadn't stepped down, that company might have sold off."
"Not happening. Anything else might be possible, but that won't be -- they won't dismantle their core operations. In my opinion, those old folks hiding in their holes must have their own agenda. The British are in the know; if they know, they wouldn't sell themselves out. Oil is the lifeblood of industry; it's only natural to treat it with significance. If they can't keep control, they'd rather declare war. Too bad they messed up. Ahem, the oil from the Falklands isn't even enough to fill the hole.
Filson, you can see from this that the Brits values oil security highly."
"Right, that's the part I can't comprehend. At the very least, prices should be above twenty bucks."
"To me, Filson, this looks more like a cleansing. Those lacking strength and unable to hold losses will fall before dawn."
"That only leaves this as an explanation, ha ha, they're really playing a big game."
William White smiled silently. When oil prices dropped below ten bucks, that's when you'd know what true recklessness was.
Even if they fell below ten bucks, OPEC wouldn't cut production.
So you could trade futures, just avoid messing with oil. Its price was dictated by Uncle Sam; one misstep could easily lead to a crash.
...
"Alan, let Soros cool it."
"What's up, Paul? Did you notice something?" Greenspan was somewhat dismissive, continuing to stir his tea.
"Ugh, the U.S. won't allow an economic crisis in Mexico to happen. At least, not right now. The North American Trade Agreement has only been in place for a few years -- between wars and crises."
"Don't worry, old buddy; he won't mess with it. This guy might be greedy, but he's sharp. He won't reach for what isn't rightly his. Now, William White hasn't given up on oil; it seems he's acquired two more small companies."
"When it comes to intelligence, who can compare with this guy. Well, this bastard has plenty of money." Paul Volcker was also extremely conflicted when talking about this person.
*****
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