Reborn as a tycoon in Hong Kong

The last trading week of January.

On Monday and Tuesday, the international gold price still rose, and all long orders in Hutchison Whampoa's gold futures were closed.

Lin Baicheng, on the other hand, still has some of his long gold futures orders that he has not closed out. Fortunately, there are not many left. It can take at least one day or more than two days to complete the shipment. He will definitely be able to close out his long orders before the end of this month. .

Lin Baicheng was very happy when he learned about this from New York.

This time, Hutchison Whampoa's long gold futures operation involved US$2.5 billion in capital with a principal of US$400 million. The average buying price was US$391.5/ounce, while the average selling price was US$678/ounce, an increase of 73.18%. Book profit was US$1.83 billion.

However, transaction fees, leverage interest, and capital income tax are also deducted here.

The transaction fees are not very high, but the annual interest on leverage is 9%. However, because the time is only three months, the total of leverage interest plus transaction fees is only 58 million US dollars.

The remaining $1.772 billion is the profit, and income tax is calculated.

US$1.68 billion is the remaining profit in the end, but it is not all the profit that Hutchison Whampoa can get.

10% of the US$1.68 billion is Golden Fleece's share, which is US$168 million. Therefore, Hutchison Whampoa will ultimately receive only US$1.512 billion.

Hutchison Whampoa's profit was US$1.512 billion. Adding the principal of US$400 million, Hutchison Whampoa's final capital was US$1.912 billion.

Speaking only of profits, Hutchison Whampoa's investment profit this time was only US$1.512 billion, or HK$6.35 billion, slightly lower than Lin Baicheng's previous estimate of HK$7 to 8 billion.

It was also when Lin Baicheng calculated Hutchison Whampoa's profits that he forgot that 10% of the profits should be allocated to the Golden Fleece Company as profits. The main reason was that the Golden Fleece Company was also his company, so he temporarily forgot about the commission.

Speaking of Hutchison Whampoa's investment profit this time, Golden Fleece Company was able to receive US$168 million. Even if bonuses to employees are deducted, there is still US$160 million left.

Hutchison Whampoa's funds in Golden Fleece's account total US$1.912 billion. However, only US$1.712 billion of this amount of funds will be transferred to the corresponding account of Hutchison Whampoa in the near future. The remaining US$200 million will continue to be entrusted to the divorce company. Shore company operations.

For this 200 million US dollars of funds, Lin Baicheng had already asked the operation team to open short orders after closing the long orders before leaving. This time he did not operate too much funds, and only 800 million US dollars of funds were used.

Lin Baicheng's own funds will never be involved in shorting the gold price. Hutchison Whampoa will only use a small amount of funds to enter the market to make a small profit.

Lin Baicheng received the contact call early Wednesday morning, so he left and went directly to Hutchison Whampoa.

At Lin Baicheng's request, Hutchison Whampoa held an interim board meeting at 11 a.m.

All directors on the Hong Kong side attended the board meeting.

"Dear directors, I am here today to announce some great news to you."

Only Lin Baicheng knows that Hutchison Whampoa's profit-making investment has been settled. After all, it is handled by Golden Fleece Company, and the company's directors cannot get any specific information at all.

"Big good news?"

After hearing this, Guo Henian couldn't help but ask: "Lin Sheng, what good thing happened?"

"Mr. Lin, has the company's investment completed profit settlement?"

Wei Li's heart moved, but he remembered what Lin Baicheng had said to him before.

"Weili is really smart, he guessed right."

Lin Baicheng smiled and nodded, then looked around at the directors present and said: "Just this morning, I learned good news from the client. The company's previous investment of US$400 million has made a huge profit, and the client has completed After settlement, the company finally made a profit of US$1.512 billion, which is HK$6.35 billion.”

"so much?!"

Guo Henian was shocked when he heard this. Such a huge profit was simply outrageous. It was more than the net worth he had earned through hard work in the first half of his life.

"Mr. Lin, this is really great news!"

Weili immediately said that with the entry of this fund, the company's stock price will definitely rise again, and the company will not be short of money even if it makes another large investment.

"Mr. Lin, you are so awesome. You selected this agency at a glance!" "Thanks to Mr. Lin's insight, our company has been able to obtain huge returns on investment many times."

Several directors praised Lin Baicheng one after another, but most of what they said came from their hearts.

"Okay, I won't say anything else."

Lin Baicheng pressed his hands to signal everyone to calm down, and then said: "This great news must be shared with all shareholders. Wei Li, after the board of directors is over, arrange for someone to make an announcement and release the news." This is the only way to do this. , can Hutchison Whampoa's stock price rise.

Wei Li asked aloud: "Mr. Lin, do you think we should hold a formal press conference?"

Lin Baicheng said: "You just have to figure it out. Even if there is a press conference, I won't attend."

"Okay, I'll get someone to do it."

Wei Li agreed. No matter what decision he made, he would definitely ask Lin Baicheng for instructions before making a decision.

Guo Henian asked aloud: "Lin Sheng, Hutchison Whampoa's investment profit this time is more than 6 billion Hong Kong dollars. How are you going to use so much money?"

Lin Baicheng said: "I haven't decided on this yet. After all, it is more than 6 billion Hong Kong dollars in funds. Let's wait until the next board meeting to discuss it."

Of course, everyone will have no objection to this.

Hutchison Whampoa's board meeting did not last long, just over half an hour.

In the afternoon, Hutchison Whampoa held a press conference and announced the huge good news of an investment profit of HK$6.35 billion.

Before the news was officially announced to the public, Hutchison Whampoa's stock price had already risen sharply in the stock market, reaching a price of HK$130 and then fluctuating. Obviously, large funds knew the news in advance and entered the market to hunt for the bottom, driving up the stock price. stand up.

The total market value of Hutchison Whampoa is also too high. Without a huge amount of funds, this giant cannot rise too much. Therefore, some institutions that have received the news cannot raise Hutchison Whampoa's stock price too high at once.

After Hutchison Whampoa officially held its press conference, the news was widely publicized. All investors knew the news, and then a large amount of money was used to purchase Hutchison Whampoa's shares, which forced the stock price to rise again.

Shareholders are irrational. After learning that Hutchison Whampoa made a profit of HK$6.35 billion this time, many people will ignore that the current valuation of Hutchison Whampoa’s stock price is not low. Instead, they will feel that the one-time profit is several billion Hong Kong dollars. The company's valuation is not high yet.

Hutchison Whampoa's stock price continues to rise, which is of course a good thing for Lin Baicheng, who is reducing his stake.

Before the stock market closed in the afternoon, Lin Baicheng, who was staying at Hutchison Whampoa, received a call from the Hong Kong government. He was called by the secretary of the Governor, saying that MacLehose had asked him to have dinner with him that evening.

Faced with Mailihao's invitation, Lin Baicheng couldn't refuse, so he agreed.

The place to eat was not decided at Mailihao's house, but at the Hutchison Hotel, but Mailihao requested that Lin Baicheng and Mailihao dine alone.

In the evening, in the private room of Hutchison Hotel, Lin Baicheng only waited for about ten minutes before Mailihao arrived.

"Sir!" "Lin Sheng!"

Lin Baicheng and Mailihao shook hands and sat down separately.

After the ordered dishes were served, Lin Baicheng and Mai Lihao's subordinates went out separately, leaving only two people in the box.

Maliho raised his wine glass: "Lin Sheng, I want to congratulate you first. Hutchison Whampoa's investment has achieved a huge return."

"Thanks!"

Lin Baicheng raised his glass and responded: "This time, luck is more important. I personally never thought that the price of gold could rise to such a high level. I thought it would be good if it rose slightly."

However, Mai Lihao said: "Luck is also a kind of strength. What's more, this is not the first time Lin Sheng that you have received a huge return on your investment."

"Thanks!"

Lin Baicheng took a sip of wine.

Putting down the wine glass, Mailihao cut the steak and said, "Lin Sheng, I will tell you some things directly. After all, I am here with a mission this time."

"Sir, please speak."

Lin Baicheng couldn't help but feel moved after hearing this. With MacLehose's current status, only those in London could order him, and they had to be high-level officials. Ordinary members of parliament were not qualified to assign tasks to the governor, MacLehose.

"Lin Sheng, my mission is related to Hutchison Whampoa's investment profits this time, and that is to promote Hutchison Whampoa to invest in the UK."

US$1.5 billion in funds is not a small amount. For the UK, which is currently in a poor domestic economic situation, if more than US$1 billion of investment can be implemented, it will definitely play some role in economic recovery.

"Lin Sheng, if I fail to complete this task, Downing Street will question my ability, so I need your help."

MacLehose bluntly stated that he will leave Hong Kong in a few years, but leaving Hong Kong does not mean the end of his political career. He needs to consider his future.

"Sir, this is a little too sudden."

Lin Baicheng couldn't help but frown slightly. Mailihao told him this matter so solemnly. If he refused, he might offend Mailihao and be detrimental to the development of his company in Hong Kong.

"Lin Sheng, this is more than one billion US dollars, and Downing Street cannot ignore it."

Mailihao reminded him loudly that he was not threatening, he was just telling the truth.

Lin Baicheng nodded when he heard this and started eating the steak in silence.

When Mailihao saw this, he did not urge him. Instead, he allowed Lin Baicheng to think without disturbing him.

After a moment, Lin Baicheng put down the knife and fork in his hand, looked at Maliho across from him and said: "Sir, the current investment environment in the UK is not very good, and many high-quality assets are state-owned enterprises. If Hutchison Whampoa invests in the past, I don't know. Can we get access to some high-quality assets?”

"If you, Lin Sheng, are paying attention to the news in London, you should know that Mrs. Thatcher has been implementing state-owned enterprise reforms since she came to power. As long as it is the goal of the reform there, then Lin Sheng, you are qualified to participate."

"Lin Sheng, what I'm talking about here is qualifications. You should understand what I mean. You are definitely not the only one who is willing to invest in some high-quality assets."

Before Mailihao came to talk to Lin Baicheng, he already knew the general bottom line. Otherwise, if you can't take the initiative at all, then there will be no way to continue talking with Lin Baicheng.

"Of course I know that."

Lin Baicheng nodded. State-owned enterprises in any country have non-performing assets and high-quality assets, and high-quality assets must be liked by everyone. British capital cannot easily allow high-quality assets to be taken over by foreign capitalists.

"If the target is right, Hutchison Whampoa doesn't mind spending more money to compete with its rivals."

Maliho's eyes couldn't help but light up: "Lin Sheng, what you mean is that Hutchison Whampoa is willing to invest in the UK?"

Lin Baicheng said: "I have this consideration at the moment, but I have to go back and think about it carefully before deciding what to do. What do you think, Sir?"

"Of course, no problem. This is not a small investment. Lin Sheng, you really need to think about it carefully."

Mailihao nodded in agreement, and then said: "Lin Sheng, I hope you can seriously consider this matter. The benefits to you far outweigh the costs. You should understand that China and Britain will definitely start negotiations on the return of Xiangjiang, and I will not I hope you, Lin Sheng, will be used as a target to establish your authority."

"Thanks for the reminder, I will seriously consider it."

Lin Baicheng nodded to express his understanding. If Lin Baicheng does not invest in the UK this time, Downing Street will definitely be very dissatisfied. Once the two countries start negotiations on the ownership of Hong Kong, he is likely to be regarded as the one who kills the monkey and the chicken. monkey.

"I won't say much else. Lin Sheng, please think about it seriously after you go back. After all, this is your own career, Lin Sheng."

Mailihao didn't say anything more. The two had some friendship and he didn't want to appear aggressive.

"I will, and I will give you an answer as soon as possible Sir."

Lin Baicheng said that in fact, he has basically made a decision in his mind, which is to let Hutchison Whampoa invest in the UK. Before the return of Xiangjiang is confirmed, it is best not to be stubborn and try to see if Downing Street will be tough. There is no regret medicine in this world.

Of course, Lin Baicheng really needs to go back and think about it carefully, whether it is the right thing to do, and which industry is better to invest in if he really wants to invest.

"That's right Sir."

Lin Baicheng suddenly said: "If Hutchison Whampoa goes to the UK to invest, do you think it will be possible for me and a few friends to establish Xiangjiang Airlines?"

"this"

Mailihao just pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "I think this shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay, let's talk about it after I go back and think about it for a few days."

Lin Baicheng did not put forward any other conditions. If he wanted to put forward conditions, he would have to wait until he was sure that he wanted to invest in the UK. Then he would put forward some conditions.

Mailihao didn't know what to say. He also knew that Lin Baicheng would make conditions, and he was mentally prepared. As long as Lin Baicheng's conditions were not too excessive, he could agree in advance.

Although tonight's dinner was not pleasant, it was not bad at all. After the meal, Lin Baicheng and Mai Lihao chatted for a while before leaving.