Chapter 53 A Knee Inexplicably Hit by an Arrow
' Greece is in a different time zone than us, I think it's about 5 hours...' Su Hao thought to himself.
It's still early morning there; the roosters haven't crowed yet.
Moreover, even if those deadbeats in Greece really intend to break off relations and publicly announce, "I'm not paying back the money,"...
It won't be confirmed until the agreed repayment date.
There's still a few days of buffer time.
'Was it... that we ambushed them too early?'
An idea flashed through his mind.
Just in case, just in case, his prediction was wrong, and Greece chickened out in the end and didn't make a mistake!
That would be a huge problem.
Ptooey!
no!
He immediately banished the idea from his mind.
Don't scare yourself!
His intuition has been proven through countless real-world market experiences!
So far, it has never let us down!
It's only natural to have occasional minor mood swings.
After all, he's not an AI without emotions.
Compared to my former self who used to be easily frightened, I'm now as steady as a rock!
"So, at the very least, we'll have to sit here and wait for several days before we see any results?"
He figured that Greece might try to stall, begging for a few more days to extend the repayment date.
In that case, they'd be completely stuck, staring at each other blankly at the screen.
"Since we're just idling around anyway, how about... we read a book?"
Having made up his mind, he pulled out an investment masterpiece that he had bought long ago to "cultivate his mind."
The book is hailed as the "bible" of the investment world: The Intelligent Investor.
The author of this book, Benjamin Graham, is hailed as the "father of value investing".
The core ideas of the entire book boil down to just a few points, repeated over and over:
[To see beyond the surface and grasp the essence, focus on the intrinsic value of a company!]
Don't be blinded by the fluctuating prices in the market; keep your eyes fixed on the intrinsic value!
In particular, the old man repeatedly typed in bold black font:
Never let short-term market fluctuations lead you astray!
[Short-term trading? That's speculation! That's gambling! That's a crooked and unethical practice!]
In layman's terms: You short-term traders who chase highs and sell lows every day, you're doomed!
"..." Su Hao touched his nose, feeling as if he had been shot in the knee for no reason.
He understands all the principles in this book; the logic is clear, the arguments are rigorous—it's practically the politically correct approach in the investment world.
Identify a company's value, hold it for the long term, be a friend of time, and wait for it to bear fruit. Even Warren Buffett, the legendary investor, wholeheartedly agrees with this approach.
The problem is... this theory doesn't quite work in the Chinese stock market!
Good companies don't necessarily have good stock prices, while bad companies can be hyped up to sky-high prices due to various concepts.
Because of the intense speculation in the market, everyone is focused on quick and easy profits.
The entire market is permeated with a restless atmosphere of "live for today, for tomorrow we may die."
"Value investing is good, and I know it's right, but…" Su Hao pouted.
"Would you hold onto a stock for five, ten, or even decades just to wait for a so-called 'reversion to value'?!"
He shook his head; just thinking about it made his balls ache.
That would require immense patience and an incredibly boring life!
He probably would never do something like that in his entire life!
Not to mention, their trading departments, which rely on short-term trading for a living, are inherently incompatible with "value investing"!
Everyone here is a "quick shooter," who's going to play a "war of attrition" with you?
"Before I knew it, time flew by while I was reading."
Su Hao glanced at the time and realized it was almost closing time.
How about we take the team out for a nice meal?
Although the lunch break on trading days is particularly valuable, as it requires a lot of analysis and judgment work.
But their situation is special; they're bored out of their minds.
"Alright, let's prepare to leave then. Before we go, let's take one last look..."
He stood up, preparing to leave the office, and habitually glanced one last time at the real-time data of the stocks currently held by the team.
Logically speaking, Greece should still be fast asleep, so there's no way anything could go wrong right now, and a signal is unlikely to be coming in...
But there's always a chance of something going wrong...
Holy crap!
Sizzle—!
A powerful warning signal, like a high-voltage current piercing his heart, surged into his brain without warning along the mouse cable!
The electric shock made his hand jerk, and he almost threw the mouse in his hand like a grenade!
"What the hell?! What the hell is this?! How can there be a signal?!" Su Hao's eyes widened instantly, completely dumbfounded.
Shouldn't those guys from Greece still be dreaming of being Saint Seiya warriors protecting Athena?
'Could it be... that those night owls in Greece have all sleepwalked and started something?'
***
The atmosphere in the office was unusually heavy today; the air seemed frozen and chilly.
It wasn't that the air conditioning was set too low, but rather the pervasive tension in the air that almost froze the soul, making everyone breathless and causing cold sweat to pour down their backs.
Seriously!
That's 250 million RMB!
If it's in cash!
The kind that, if piled up, could crush someone!
If you leave this money in the market, you'll not only lose money, but you'll even experience a slight fluctuation.
For example, if the price fluctuates downwards by 1%, that would mean 2.5 million people would disappear!
Two and a half million!
That's enough for most hardworking professional traders to work hard for several years!
Here, a single wrong click, a moment of hesitation, could cause everything to vanish completely.
"I...I said...everyone..." Liu Bo's voice trembled with nervousness, and he muttered softly, his face pale.
"What if, I mean what if, we've gotten both the bullish and bearish directions wrong this time, and we accidentally lose 10%... what will we do then?"
"Shut up!" Liang Haiyuan whispered, his brows furrowed. "Don't scare yourselves and demoralize the team! The manager is still here!"
"I'm sorry, I was just... too nervous, my words slipped a little..."
Liu Bo quickly apologized and shrank back.
"How have I always emphasized this to you? In our line of work, mindset is the most important thing! Your heart has to be as hard as steel! You have to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you! Do you understand?"
Liang Haiyuan tried to encourage everyone, even though his own palms were sweating.
"But…this commotion…" another trader interjected with a pained expression.
"Let alone us, even if it were Warren Buffett sitting here, he'd probably feel uncomfortable, right?"
Yes, we just closed out our positions a couple of days ago, and everyone was happily having a celebratory dinner, as if we had just won a great victory.
When you wake up, wow, your "bullets" are fully loaded, and you're kicked back into a more brutal battlefield filled with gunfire!
Who can bear such a drop in status?
"When you really can't take it anymore, just look for our manager."
Li Huilin gestured with her lips and looked at the private office behind the glass wall.
Whoosh!
Everyone moved in unison, like a flock of domesticated quails, all turning their gazes toward the glass wall.
Their manager, Su Hao, was sitting there as calmly as a rock, holding a book in his hand, reading it with great interest.
Moreover, judging from the cover, it's clearly an...investment book?!