Chapter 157

William White's audacious moves left many of the older, more established figures in awe. After all, they all held significant social status, and in their circles, most issues could be resolved over a game of golf. Who dared to do what William White was doing?

When you don't treat peers as equals, you risk becoming nothing more than a symbol in the eyes of others. William White, who was taking flight by storm, was certainly taking unorthodox actions. He had been actively shorting stocks in Wall Street, and his ruthless tactics were unprecedented. Was he trying to shake the world?

"Boss, aside from accumulating a large number of Jiancang Technology stocks, the other party also bought a significant number of Coca-Cola stocks. Pepsi Food Group also got involved, but their holdings were relatively small."

"Did his short positions turn a profit?"

"No, it's over, and the losses are expected to exceed $50 million."

"$50 million? Well, he's got over $500 million in losses now."

"Boss, it's really concerning. Wall Street is buzzing; we don't know what he's up to."

"Well, what else can he do? It's about deterrence and intimidation. Let's see who dares to compete with this madman."

Committing suicide before taking down your enemies was bewildering. Unless you didn't care about the losses, this was a losing battle.

Thankfully, it seemed that this guy had had enough and was now building up positions. Many stocks had already increased by over 5%. It was highly likely that the White Fund would soon appear on the boards of numerous companies.

With such massive purchases, could he be considering buying Disney?

Wall Street believed that the economic crisis in the United States had not yet hit rock bottom, and that was the consensus among financial experts. What were they seeing now?

It was essentially a bargain.

What had changed?

Yes, he was bullish, but that was in futures. The stock market and futures market were fundamentally different. He belonged to a different league altogether.

High tech?

Well, these smaller sectors came with higher risk and luck played a significant role. One bad turn and there was no turning back. But what was happening with Coca-Cola? Even if he had manipulated it, there was no reason for it to rise this much.

Hundreds of millions of dollars was no big deal for Wall Street, but these funds were now concentrated in a particular area, which was quite interesting.

"Boss, it seems like he has completed his positions. They probably don't have much liquidity left."

"Mostly in smaller companies. Well, let's keep an eye on it."

Wall Street fund managers weren't eager to follow suit. In their view, William White was likely on a path to self-destruction. Everyone's investments were gradual and measured. They all belonged to the kindergarten level.

They were certain that the White Fund guys weren't on the same level. They all moved in the same circles, and there was only one explanation for such an operation—William White's decision.

Even if they wanted to mock him, they didn't dare. He was wealthy; what did they have to be dissatisfied about?

Indeed, William White was immensely wealthy. The recent incredible performance of his artwork had almost matched the North American box office earnings of Star Wars. Of course, this was the North American box office; the global box office had a much larger gap.

But regardless, this was a remarkable achievement. What was even more infuriating was that all these profits went straight to this individual.

Apple might make $300 million a year from its cows, but William White was making $300 million from his artwork. This disparity was hard to justify.

Why hadn't this guy gone public?

Who said he hadn't?

Just as Wall Street elites were struggling to process this, William White's company officially announced a Series A round of financing. This time, it was a substantial effort, and not only were software and gaming companies seeking investment, but comic companies were also opening up for financing.

Each company was offering a 15% stake at a high price.

Some questioned why they were seeking financing so early. Wouldn't it be better to wait for the company to develop further and go public for more substantial funds?

But that wasn't possible. American culture was built around sharing interests. Google didn't go public right away either.

It was impossible to amass wealth secretly; it was known to everyone. If it wasn't a film company acquiring them, they would still need financing.

Moreover, the cost of capital was currently very high. A 20% interest rate was considered extravagant.

Borrowing money from foot baths was also troublesome. Besides, they were concerned about the potential appreciation of the yen and were hesitant to borrow in yen. If the amount was small, it was fine, but for larger sums, the foot bath might not be able to handle it.

With such a significant spread, it wasn't just William White who had thought about borrowing from foot baths. Many American companies had the same idea.

Unfortunately, these benefits were limited to multinational companies. Farmers were still faring well. No one was interested in their cows and farms.

Now it was the turn of investment banks.

Looking for cheap chips?

Stop dreaming. Haven't you seen the brokers in London itching to try?

They had made it clear that they wouldn't just be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. While listing on the foot basin wasn't guaranteed, listing in London was a certainty.

Evaluating the value of the company was a headache.

$5 billion?

Breaking your head wouldn't help.

Unbelievable! Why are you going public with such a small valuation?

"Billions? Is the pedicure insane? How could it be worth so much?"

"Boss, that's the valuation for the comic company. The game console company is valued at $1.2 billion. We're waiting to see their terms; this isn't the final offer."

"No, no, there must be something we don't know. We should investigate."

Of course, there were things they didn't know. Not only had this guy invested in a toy factory, but he was also venturing into video game consoles.

In their eyes, this was a gold mine. If they didn't act now, they'd regret it later. They were well aware of how profitable the three game console manufacturers in the foot basin were.

Some people saw through William White's intentions easily, but so what? Even if you knew it was poisoned wine, would you choose to refuse?

The answer was no.

This might be a slow-acting poison, but if you didn't drink it, you'd die of thirst in the desert.

To die now or to die later, the choice was simple.

Regarding the various hypocrisies in the United States, the foot basin was equally frustrated. This was the case with comics; how could gaming be any different? There was nothing wrong with these things. If they were handed over to us, the scale would undoubtedly be much larger.

"Well, the little guys are astute. Philson, do you think these old guys have already lost their touch?"

"Boss, if they saw the plan first, their decisions would definitely be different."

"Ha, if you give it to them first, the effect wouldn't be the same as it is now. Be assured, with such a huge difference in price, they'll absolutely want to figure out why. You can slowly squeeze the toothpaste."

Philson couldn't help but sigh. The boss's strategies were too much for the old guys to handle. It was estimated that they would be quite frustrated!