[Chapter 846: Smart People Always Exist]
The United States and the IMF collectively provided $50 billion to stabilize the market. Although the effects were not immediate, the panic in the market gradually eased.
Of course, to secure this loan, Mexico had to make several concessions. William White didn't care what tricks these folks were pulling; what mattered to him was that oil prices had finally started to rise again.
To be honest, the approach was rather crude. The so-called benefits really only served a handful of monopolistic companies.
"Hey, do I look ugly?" he joked with a hint of sarcasm.
"How could that be? You look incredibly charming. If it weren't for safety concerns, I'd be way too eager right now," his partner replied, feigning seriousness.
Noticing she had definitely filled out a bit, William White shot back, "Come on, that's absurd. You look stunning!"
"Ugh, you're just saying that. I've turned into a pig!" she exclaimed, clearly not believing him.
"No way! If you were a pig, you'd have to be the prettiest one around," he teased.
"You jerk! You're calling me a pig!"
"Alright, alright, I apologize. I just happen to like pigs!"
When a woman is expecting, she tends to get a little irrational. It's best to avoid explanations entirely. Offering an apology and showering her with compliments usually worked as the optimal, if not the only, solution.
"Wow, you're really laying it on thick. I must be losing my mind if I'm falling for your nonsense."
"I need to clarify; I'm dead serious. By the way, are you sure you don't want to go to Lanai?"
"I'm not going. The reactions lately have been a bit much; the little one is a bit restless."
"Okay then. I've got everything arranged here," he assured her.
"Dear, you seem a bit on edge lately. Things not going well?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice.
"Not really. The world has been unsettled lately. You know me; I'm a pacifist, and disasters and wars are just terrible."
"Haha, Japan has been having a rough time. I heard their losses have been significant."
"Actually, it could be worse. It's just that the response to the earthquake wasn't timely. It happened when everyone was asleep."
William noted that she was a smart woman. The idea that pregnancy made women less sharp wasn't scientific to him. It seemed his partners were getting more difficult to sway.
"Wow, it looks like you've grown a lot. Is this a second development phase?" he joked.
"Stop it! Do you know how gravity can really impact a woman's body?" she fired back.
"Cough, that's not how it works! Don't believe that Newton guy. Who just sits under an apple tree waiting for apples to fall? He should have been sitting under a coconut tree. Trust me, dear, some things defy gravity; science can't explain everything."
With big troubles fading away, William lost interest once he realized Soros had thrown in the towel and exited the scene. Whether he made a good profit wasn't as crucial. Understanding Soros's operational methods was far more significant.
Through the recent plummet of the Nikkei 225 index, he identified a major issue--the amount of trend-following investments was alarmingly high, significantly overshadowing the so-called quantum fund.
It seemed that the number of people who believed in Soros vastly outweighed those who disagreed. With this lesson learned, he wondered if attitudes would ever change.
In the stock market, choosing poorly wasn't scary; the key was to correct mistakes promptly. The real nightmare was to persist down a wrong path. If one was merely investing, that kind of stubbornness might not be a bad thing. But if one was speculating, caution was certainly advised.
Despite the dire situation in Japan, a good number of people still held fast to their beliefs about the market. In fact, cutting losses or changing direction at that point might not have been such a bad call.
"Alright, enough of this back and forth. If you didn't have advantage, you'd never stand a chance against Soros!"
"Sir, it's Dominique."
"Okay, what's up? I'm listening."
"Sir, you told me to keep an eye on the policies in Bunny Country, and there have been changes. The loan balance there has exceeded $400 billion, and prices are becoming a bit unstable. They're likely to adopt a very tight monetary policy."
"Wait, you mean tight as in extremely tight, not just moderately tightening?"
"Absolutely. For a considerable period, ordinary businesses are going to struggle to get loans."
"Got it. That's critical information. Finally, someone gets it. Continued rapid growth isn't a good thing at all."
"Sir, I've heard that a lot of people have differing opinions. A sudden braking could put significant pressure on large companies, and I'm not quite clear on the unemployment rates here."
"Ha! It's going to be higher than the data shows. But, Dominique, that won't be a massive issue. The folks in Bunny Country don't carry much debt, so losing jobs won't immediately push them to the streets."
"That seems to be the case. That's the scoop; nothing else to report."
"Alright, I'm aware. Tesla's plans remain unchanged; we might have to adjust our commercial real estate strategies."
Clearly, Bunny Country had realized something was off. If they couldn't manage their debt reasonably, economic trouble would follow. Mexico had a small population; if something similar occurred in Bunny Country, it could turn into a huge disaster.
What the U.S. was playing at now was incredibly subtle. They said inflation was severe and needed to limit the money supply. However, both oil and gold prices were dropping.
If that were true, some degree of monetary easing must be a reasonable support for the economy.
To deny gold its monetary attributes was impressive; Americans certainly had a vivid imagination. But they seemed to be making a mistake. The people in Bunny Country had always loved this commodity. It's something easy to carry during chaotic times, and during peaceful periods, it's also used for making jewelry.
What? An 18K option sounds good.
Let's skip that; whether it becomes popular is yet to be seen, but in today's era, five nines is definitely better than four nines. If it weren't for the craftsmanship, people certainly would prefer a 100% option.
When the Fed issued money, oil-exporting countries had to pay in U.S. dollars. Those dollars that circulated would find their way back into U.S. financial markets--either purchasing U.S. Treasury bonds or U.S. stocks.
Oh man, after a single cycle, one would see that the U.S. couldn't even crash if it wanted to.
Unfortunately, the U.S. seemed to have a hard time learning. Trouble inevitably followed chaos. Why wouldn't they listen?
Sooner or later, the dollar would be rendered worthless by these clowns. That much was certain. When the time came, it was anyone's guess how the big players of this world would negotiate.
What? A world war?
That's nonsense. That's unlikely. Ever since the advent of weapons of mass destruction, the world had actually become much safer. The end result would likely be mutual compromise.
William was curious about what would end up being used to price currency in that scenario.
National credit?
Cough, excuse me, you don't have any credit at all.
Do you know why Bitcoin skyrocketed despite being virtually worthless?
The guy came up with a smart idea.
It's not that digital currency could replace the dollar, but its operational model was exceptional. Even if you were the creator, you couldn't just make more Bitcoin.
That point was crucial; if the Fed didn't have the authority to issue currency, or if issuing currency had to follow strict rules, there would be major consequences.
Fine, the U.S. wouldn't agree to that. If they did, they couldn't play the bandit anymore. They couldn't possibly carry the astronomical figures of social security and health insurance.
As for military spending--that wasn't all that outrageous. No one could outfight them, that much was true. But others could still match them to the grave. Go ahead, try it out!
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