My 1999

Larry Ellison recognized at a glance that the man in the photo was Secretary of State Colin Powell, now the fourth most powerful figure in American politics.

Above the photo is a headline.

"The Second Gulf War is imminent!"

My heart thumped, and my breathing suddenly became rapid.

I suppressed my uneasiness and read the main content of the news.

It turns out that at the United Nations Security Council meeting yesterday, Secretary of State Powell submitted evidence of weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq to the United Nations.

According to normal logic, if there is evidence, a conviction can be made.

In other words, the United States has found an excuse to send troops to Iraq. As long as Iraq does not recognize or accept the presence of American soldiers, the war is likely to break out within a few months.

The outbreak of war in the Middle East will have a decisive impact on oil prices.

Thinking of this, Larry Ellison quickly opened Goldman Sachs' website.

Instantly I saw the green diagonal line of WTI rising rapidly.

Only two hours after the U.S. stock market opened, the price of WTI has increased from 22.2 to 22.8, and is still rising rapidly.

"damn it."

Larry Ellison quickly took out his phone and called Paul Singer and others.

——

"BOSS, it has exceeded 23 US dollars."

With a loud shout, everyone in the nervous office quickly cheered.

Xia Changsheng looked at the rapidly rising prices on the display screen, and it was difficult for him to remain calm at this moment.

"Continue to pull up, and today we will pull the price of WTI above $23.5."

Everyone responded with a roar, and the sound of typing on the keyboard sounded intensively again.

Feeling the busy atmosphere around him and looking at the futures prices that were still rising little by little on the display screen, Xia Changsheng felt a strong emotion in his heart while being excited and happy.

In the past week, Mr. Xu Liang said that the time has not come yet, the time has not come yet. He believed it at first, but as the oil price fell further, his mentality became unbalanced and he became worried about gains and losses.

Now looking at the rapidly expanding oil prices, he admits that even though he has studied very hard, he is really not the type to make investments.

"Mr. Xu always predicts things like a god, he is really a genius!"

Xia Changsheng praised sincerely.

Some are happy and some are sad.

——

"Why haven't you done anything yet? Haven't you seen the damn gas prices?"

Larry Ellison roared.

Looking at the rapidly rising prices of WTI and Brent crude oil, it was as if a wildfire had been lit in his heart, burning his internal organs with anxiety.

"Larry, calm down. The reason for the rise in crude oil futures prices is not only Hanhua's contribution, but also Powell's speech at the United Nations Security Council.

Before the impact of this incident reaches its peak, investing money in short selling is like using a bamboo pole to stop a running elephant. It is simply impossible.

The only way is to wait for the elephant to stop and then use bamboo poles to drive it back. "Alexander Soros said.

"I don't understand elephants. I only know that the damn oil price has exceeded 23 US dollars now. If we don't take action and wait for it to exceed 23.8 US dollars, we will not only have to fill in all the money we made before, but also lose our principal." ." Larry Ellison said angrily.

He has regarded the money he earned as his own money.

Now the loss is so huge all at once, it's like cutting his flesh with a knife, how can he bear it?

"enough!!"

Paul Singer shouted.

The sharp eyes like a falcon stared at Larry Ellison. Even with the latter's arrogance, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous under the gaze of these eyes.

"Ellison, when we signed the agreement, we agreed that the investment decision would be made by me and Alexander. We have extensive experience in operating hedge funds. Don't use your ignorance to question our professional judgment."

Larry Ellison's breathing was rapid, his eyes wide open, and he roared like an angry bull.

"All my money is gone under the guidance of your damn experience, that's 2 billion US dollars!"

Paul Singer did not flinch, "Money in the stock market is just a number. Before it enters your account, even one cent does not belong to you."

There was a pause.

"This is the show I'm talking about. If you don't want to, you can close your position now and let Xu Liang continue to shit on your head, mocking you as a coward."

"asshole!"

With an angry curse, Ellison waved his fist and rushed towards Paul Singer, but was quickly stopped by Alexander, who had quick eyes and quick hands.

Looking at the chaotic situation in front of him, John Thornton next to him sighed secretly.

In a patchwork team, each person has his or her own thoughts and ideas, making it difficult to cohere into a whole.

When everything goes well, everyone can still cooperate sincerely.

Once you encounter a headwind situation, all conflicts and dissatisfaction will explode.

Especially with a pretentious guy like Larry Ellison in the middle, the tension is heightened.

In contrast, Hanhua, who rallied around Xu Liang, obviously did not have such flaws.

Able to give the most sensitive response to the market.

This time, seizing Powell's speech in time and going long with all one's strength is the best proof.

There was a fuss for a while, and after everyone's anger was almost vented, even Larry Ellison had to accept Paul Singer's opinion no matter how unwilling he was.

Because the only one who disagrees is himself.

The minority obeys the majority.

"John, we must know the trends in Washington, otherwise we will be too passive if we continue like this." Paul Singer said.

His words also made others look towards John Thornton.

Among them all, Goldman Sachs, as a Wall Street giant, has connections in all walks of life in the United States and is far better informed than them.

"OK, no problem. As long as the money is in place, I can get more accurate information."

John Thornton said.

As long as you have money, you can buy any news you want in the United States.

"Money is no problem."

They have gathered a huge fund of 17 billion U.S. dollars. They spent tens of billions on short selling before, and they still have 7 billion U.S. dollars left in their hands, which is enough to buy any news.

"John, if we want to get Washington, do we really have to fight in Iraq? If so, we need to know the specific timetable for dispatching troops." Paul Singer said seriously.

"Yes, but you also know that this information is top secret. It is not cheap to get it." John Thornton smiled.

"You know we are not short of money now." Paul Singer smiled.

Larry Ellison listened and rarely refuted.

What happened to Powell this time taught him a profound lesson.

"John, the Iraq War will definitely break out?" Larry Ellison couldn't help but ask.

"Judging from the current news, the possibility is extremely high. However, if the Iraqi side cannot withstand the pressure and compromise, then there will be no fight. So I'm afraid Washington doesn't know the specifics," John Thornton said.

Listening to this, Larry Ellison felt a little uneasy as he nodded.

For the first time, the idea of ​​closing the position came to mind.

——

Seeing that the oil futures price had reached 23.6 US dollars, Xu Liang closed the computer with satisfaction.

Later Secretary of State Powell's "washing powder incident" was well known around the world, and its popularity was not much less than that of the Iraq War, so he also remembered this incident.

I just forgot the exact time.

Appearing suddenly when he needed it most was an unexpected surprise.

He took out his phone and called Xia Changsheng.

Before he could speak, the latter's excited voice sounded like a cannon.

"Mr. Xu, you are really a prophet. The speech by US Secretary of State Powell this time has been of great help to us. In just one day, the decline in the past week has been smoothed out."

"Okay, Lao Xia, calm down. At present, we have only won the first stage of victory, and we still have to fight later." Xu Liang said.

After Xia Changsheng calmed down a little, he said, "Mr. Xu, given the domineering temper of the Americans, we have found all the evidence. There is a high probability that we will fight. Our oil speculation will definitely succeed this time."

Now he is more confident than Xu Liang.

After hearing this, Xu Liang didn't persuade him any more.

The war in Iraq is indeed on the verge of breaking out.

"Lao Xia, the fire has already started, don't let it go out. From today on, we will invest 500 million US dollars in long positions every day, and invest all our money in it."

"clear."

After explaining Xia Changsheng, Xu Liang called Qiu Heng again and gave the same explanation.

The war will break out in forty days. In the following time, Lao America will actively mobilize troops and generals, and there will be more and more testimonies about the war.

There is no need to worry anymore.

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Brent and MTI crude oil prices continued to rise and exceeded $24 for the first time.

Although oil prices were still rising on the third day, they were not as violent as the previous two days.

The trend of rising oil prices lasted for a week before finally falling.

At this time, the price of oil has reached 24.8 US dollars.

At this time, Xu Liang basically didn't pay much attention to it except checking the prices every day.

The overall situation has been decided.

After the second week, Xu Liang had all the funds invested.

Of the US$8.3 billion, US$2.84 billion belongs to Kunpeng Fund and US$54.6 is owned by itself.

Under ten times the leverage, it leveraged US$93 billion and held 4 million crude oil futures at a price of US$23.3 per barrel [Singapore Dubai crude oil position price is US$27.4 per barrel].

After reading the document in his hand several times, Xu Liang put it away.

Now that all the cards have been played, the next step is to wait quietly for the day when war breaks out.

"Unfortunately, the Iraq war is a gradual one. There are too many early signs. For well-informed and smart people, they will not wait until the war breaks out to leave early, and they can even go long and make a fortune." Xu Conscience said.

It is highly unlikely that institutions such as Elliott, Soros, Goldman Sachs, and Washington Mutual Aid will suffer heavy losses through the Iraq War.

These guys have already become experts in the complex and ever-changing financial environment.

It's hard to catch them all at once.

"I just wonder if that idiot Larry Ellison will be fooled?...Tsk, tsk, I really want to see what he looks like now, he must be so angry that he goes crazy."