Chapter 877: The News Is About to Be Announced!
Downtown. Green Brothers Company!
After seeing Li Yi off, Reggie Green fell deep in thought.
Deep down, he had already accepted Li Yi’s prediction that the pound would appreciate.
After all, Li Yi’s earlier argument was well-reasoned and backed by evidence, and Reggie Green himself was an investor with keen insight; he was confident he could tell whether this was an opportunity or a trap.
Moreover, although he was the CEO of Green Brothers, Li Yi was the majority shareholder.
If they lost money, Li Yi would bear the brunt of the loss, not him.
That was precisely why he was willing to take this huge gamble alongside Li Yi.
However, Reggie Green had some doubts: would the pound really appreciate as much as Li Yi claimed?
After all, exchange rate adjustments between the pound and the dollar are quite common—sometimes occurring several times a year—but the fluctuations are usually minor.
Could this adjustment really reach over 50%?
This doubt left Reggie Green torn; he was hesitating over whether to withdraw his money from the stock market to speculate on the pound.
If the situation really unfolded as Li Yi predicted, his assets could double in an instant.
But if the pound didn’t appreciate—or if the appreciation was only modest—it simply wouldn’t be worth it.
After all, his stock portfolio contained several stocks he was very bullish on; if he sold them and failed to put the funds to good use, he’d truly be giving up the big picture for the small details!
Yet, considering Li Yi’s impressive track record, Green Reggie was also worried he might miss this opportunity—after all, if executed correctly, this could mean hundreds of millions in profits.
He sat in his chair deep in thought for quite a while, when suddenly a person came to mind.
He immediately picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number.
“Ring… ring…”
The call was answered quickly, and an aged voice came through the receiver: “Harvard Business School. Who’s calling?”
“Uncle Walken, it’s Reggie. I have something I’d like to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?” Reggie Green said respectfully.
This uncle of his was not only his father’s closest friend but also a renowned university professor and economist. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, Uncle Walkerson had provided him with plenty of sound, effective, and highly forward-thinking advice.
“Oh, it’s Green. Go ahead and tell me what’s on your mind!”
“Uncle Woxen, as an expert on the economic development of the British Empire, do you think the pound will appreciate in the near future?” Green Reggie asked earnestly.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then Walker’s voice came through: “I didn’t expect your company to be so quick on the uptake!”
“So, does that mean the pound will indeed appreciate in the near future?”
“That’s right. According to our research, the British Isles are currently facing an extremely severe economic crisis. The Iron Lady at 10 Downing Street has been trying to find ways to rescue the economy, but unfortunately, most of her policies haven’t gained public approval, causing her approval ratings to remain very low!”
Walker continued, “But the recent war changed everything. The victory has earned the Conservative Party a great deal of public support. Margaret Thatcher has used this war to reverse her declining approval ratings.”
“At the same time, the victory in the war catapulted Margaret into the role of a national hero. Newspaper cartoons depicted her as a female general, personally leading her people into battle. After the war ended, the public’s perception of the Thatcher government shifted; they began to recognize and appreciate the achievements of the reforms, and this will undoubtedly encourage her to continue pushing forward with her reforms.”
“And in her reform plan, the key focus is on elevating the pound’s international status and making it an international currency for payments on par with the U.S. dollar, so the pound is bound to appreciate!”
Reassured, Green Reggie was in high spirits and immediately asked, “Uncle Walken, how much will the pound appreciate this time? Could it reach 50%?”
“That’s hard to say, but I can assure you it will appreciate by at least 30%!” Walker replied.
Green Reggie’s eyes lit up instantly, and he replied, “I understand. Thank you, Uncle Walkerson…”
After hanging up, Green Reggie made up his mind on the spot: he would stake his entire fortune and join Li Yi in this gamble.
Not only did he sell off all his stocks, but he also mortgaged his real estate, luxury cars, a brewery, and several gas stations!
Soon, the $500 million in funds was raised…
………
Over the next few days, Li Yi wasn’t as busy trading in the stock market as he had been in the days prior.
Once the settlements in the stock and futures markets were finalized, he handed over the entire sum—including Navine’s 120 million US dollars—to Reggie Green and instructed him to convert it into British pounds through special channels.
For the rest of the time, Li Yi spent his days with Jiang Xue, using the remaining $600,000 to practice trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Furthermore, when the market was closed, Li Yi would take Jiang Xue and the others to nearby tourist attractions for sightseeing, and their days passed in a relaxed and pleasant manner.
Before they knew it, the date had arrived: August 12!
Early that morning, Li Yi woke up and roused Jiang Xue as well.
He knew that today was the day the British government would announce the exchange rate adjustment.
After planning for so long, the time had finally come for everything to fall into place. Even Li Yi, whose assets exceeded 10 billion pounds, couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
This wasn’t just because he was genuinely short on cash at the moment; more importantly, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange was on the verge of collapse.
Although he had recently sent two hundred million US dollars back to Old Xu through Zhou Rui, that amount was simply insufficient to bridge the massive shortfall at the Foreign Exchange Bureau!
But as long as the Iron Lady announced her reform plan today and officially raised the pound’s exchange rate, the Foreign Exchange Bureau’s problems would be solved in a flash.
After all, the two hundred million he had managed on behalf of the state had, following the London operation, grown to 336 million pounds.
Once the pound appreciates and is converted back into US dollars, that will amount to over 800 million—enough to keep Old Xu afloat for a while.
That morning, Li Yi accompanied Jiang Xue to the stock exchange as usual and guided her in purchasing two stocks.
However, unlike before, he didn’t stay with her until the market closed; instead, after the midday break, he took Jiang Xue and the others back to Green Manor.
Li Yi’s excuse was that he was tired and wanted to get back early to rest.
Jiang Xue believed him completely; after all, she knew better than anyone just how busy her husband was.
Others only saw him working hard every day, but they didn’t see how hard he worked at night as well—he certainly deserved a good rest.
Afterward, the group had a simple fast-food meal in the city before driving back to Green Manor.
However, upon returning, Li Yi didn’t immediately go to his room to rest. Instead, he turned on the TV in the living room and tuned it to the news channel.
Seeing Li Yi—who rarely watched TV—showing interest in an all-English program today, Jiang Xue was a bit surprised.
“This looks like the news. You actually like watching this?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t underestimate the news. Often, it contains crucial investment insights. A great investor is someone who’s good at spotting information, and the news is definitely the best source of it. If you want to become a top-tier investor, you have to watch the news more often.”
He wasn’t just trying to impress Jiang Xue; in fact, many top investors have a habit of watching the news.
In his previous life, Li Yi had known a big-time investor who said that before he made his fortune, the vast majority of his information came from watching the news—especially the *News Broadcast*.
“Then why haven’t I ever seen you watching TV at home before?” Jiang Xue asked curiously.
“We didn’t have a stock market back then, and besides, even though I don’t watch the news, I do read the newspaper—it’s actually the same thing!” Li Yi explained.
Of course, he was only saying this for Jiang Xue’s benefit. The real reason he didn’t watch the news—aside from the fact that the TV was simply not very good—was that he didn’t need to.
As someone who had been reborn, he was essentially on a cheat code; there was no need to rely on such channels for information.
“I see…”
Just then, the TV screen flickered, and a news report came on!
Seeing the familiar figure of the Iron Lady on the screen, Li Yi’s heart leapt with joy—the news he’d been waiting for had finally arrived…
………