Chapter 600: Sky-high Price Stainless Steel Products
"Wow! I see that Apple's stock price has risen a lot after today's press conference. Congratulations on making a fortune again! When we meet in a few days, take me out to dinner to celebrate!"
On the other side of the laptop screen, Zuo Ziyan was wearing pajamas with cartoon patterns on them, sitting at the desk and reviewing her textbooks.
With a pure face and a bright smile, it seems that life is peaceful and tranquil.
This girl has been living in an ivory tower for a long time and has nothing to worry about in her life. Zuo Ziyan remains the same and the changes she has made in the past two years are far less than those of Fan Wumian.
The examination schedule of Cambridge University conflicted with the date of Apple's press conference, so Zuo Ziyan felt it was a pity that she couldn't accompany Fan Wumian to San Francisco to join in the fun.
Although Fan Wumian has many businesses, this is the first time he has ever been involved in a large project involving a total of $15 billion to gamble on long options.
A lot of experience cannot be learned from textbooks, which makes Zuo Ziyan feel a little regretful. Recently, when she has nothing to do, she will ask Fan Wumian how he is doing.
Seeing that the shoe finally dropped and the increase remained above 5%, Zuo Ziyan turned the pen in her hand and continued:
"With your position, as long as Apple's stock price remains the same today, your total profit will be around 70 to 80 million US dollars."
"The principal is $1.5 million, which means if we close the position now, the overall rate of return can be maintained above 50%."
"You've made so much money in just a few days. Amian, you're amazing. I think someone will pay attention to this soon and continue to praise how sharp your investment vision is."
Fan Wumian sighed and replied:
"Don't mention it. I thought Apple was going to make something big, but they only came up with a half-finished product, which was not as good as I expected."
"It's also my fault that I was too excited and overlooked the supporting ecosystem for the software. In fact, if you look closely, you can see that Apple has not cooperated with third-party Internet companies. No wonder there is no relevant news from the outside world."
"Wait until the news spreads, and then see if Apple's stock price can continue to rise. Once the good news is released, I will run away, wait and see for a while, and then come back. Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that it is expected to be listed in June, and the stock price should be able to rise in the first few days after listing."
Since it is only a short-term investment, the specific stock price trend is still unclear. It is less likely to make mistakes if you are more cautious during the process.
The chances of success of taking action at a critical juncture are much higher than relying on luck. In addition, the risks brought about by the subprime mortgage crisis have already begun to emerge. Fan Wumian is worried that the sluggish economic outlook will also drag down Apple's stock price.
Since only the iPhone 2G was released this time, Fan Wumian had little confidence in this product. If it was the next iPhone 3G, or the next generation iPhone 3GS, which introduced the App Store and truly opened a new era of mobile applications, the situation would be completely different.
Seriously speaking, I misjudged the situation slightly this time, and I suffered from the "different industries have different worlds". Fortunately, overall, it only took me a few days to make a profit of tens of millions of dollars on the books, which is a very impressive result.
Holding his chin with his hand, Fan Wumian dozed off and continued:
"I was originally thinking of making a fortune and buying more Marvel Entertainment shares. Now if I order a plane, it will cost more than 1000 million US dollars, and I am left with only tens of millions of dollars, which can't even buy 10% of Marvel shares."
Zuo Ziyan said with a smile:
"I noticed that you have a big appetite. Just like Penguin Group, you always want to become one of the major shareholders."
"There's nothing I can do. If I don't become an important shareholder, I won't have enough say in the company. If I want them to do things my way, I have to increase my shareholding so that my words carry weight. Otherwise, everyone has money to spend, so why should they give me face?"
While Fan Wumian was speaking, he was secretly reflecting on whether he had gone too far last year by not being able to control his belt and cheating like crazy.
That feeling was certainly exciting, but the feeling of supporting and growing together with the girls was equally wonderful, and he felt ashamed that he had let down the young lady. Then, he began to think, was this the end of his fun, was he finally turning back?
However, Fan Wumian himself knew that such awareness would not last too long. If he were to meet another top beauty who took the initiative to throw herself into his arms, it would be difficult for him to resist the temptation.
Therefore, there is no need to take this intermittent conscience too seriously. He is indeed not the kind of good man who can keep to himself. At the same time, it is also the girls' fault for being too proactive. There are too many temptations around them.
Because he couldn't be devoted to Zuo Ziyan emotionally, out of a sense of guilt, Fan Wumian wanted to make up for it in other ways, so he asked:
"Is there anything you want recently? I can buy it for you. Everyone who sees it gets a share. I made tens of millions of dollars but only treated you to a meal. What would your parents think of me if they knew about it?"
Zuo Ziyan didn't say anything polite to him. She frowned and thought for a while, then said:
"If you ask me what I particularly want to buy, there is one thing I have recently bought. Do you know the pop artist Jeff Koons? Before Christmas last month, I accompanied my parents to London to see his art exhibition. There were two giant balloon dog sculptures more than three meters long and three meters high, which left a deep impression on me."
"They were too expensive, but there were some limited edition smaller versions of the Balloon Dog sculptures, and I saw the price was $2, which I thought was too expensive so I didn't buy it."
"After thinking about it carefully, I think I still like it very much. It would be a good idea to buy a few pieces and put them at home as display items. As one of the most famous contemporary pop artists, Jeff Koons's works may appreciate in value in the future, just like Picasso's prints and porcelain."
After making an OK gesture, Fan Wumian thought for a moment and asked:
"Is it one of those colorful stainless steel balloon dogs? I have some impression of it. How small would the smaller version be?"
Seeing Zuo Ziyan stretching out her hands and indicating a distance of about fifty to sixty centimeters, Fan Wumian said happily:
"I don't understand why stainless steel can be sold at such a high price just because it's called a work of art. But since even you want to buy it, it must have real value. Where is his shop? I'll take you there when the time comes. You can pick a few pieces at random, and I, Master Fan, will pay for them for you."
Zuo Ziyan laughed so hard that she couldn't close her mouth:
"You look so handsome like this. Jeff Koons is an American. How about I meet you in the United States in a couple of days, and then we can visit his studio together. It will be like a trip?"
"No problem. I just want to know how much a giant balloon dog that is over three meters long and three meters high would cost. I think it would be suitable to be placed in my house. It would look very visually impactful."
Fan Wumian is far from being obsessed with these stainless steel balloon dog sculptures, but he remembers that in a few years, their prices could rise to tens of millions of dollars.
The reason he remembered this incident was that he thought those rich people were crazy at the time, and it left a very deep impression on him.
Fan Wumian casually searched the keywords "Jeff Koons + Balloon Dog" on Google and was surprised to find that last year French luxury tycoon and owner of Christie's auction house François Pinault bought the magenta "Balloon Dog". The media mentioned that the total cost was about 650 million US dollars.
The yellow "Balloon Dog" was bought by a wealthy businessman who runs a hedge fund business in New York, who also spent six or seven million US dollars last year.
Judging from the exhibition held by Jeff Koons, it seems that only the blue and red "Balloon Dog" are left in his possession. It is unclear whether they cannot be sold or are waiting for a price.
What Fan Wumian considers to be a good thing worthy of investment is also a treasure in the eyes of others, and it has become a luxury to want to pick up a bargain at a low price.
Drawing inferences from the experience of inviting Mr. Wu Guanzhong to help him with painting, he suddenly remembered that Jeff Koons' famous works were expensive, so he specifically asked the other party to customize a new piece, and maybe he would have a chance to bargain.
If you customize a stainless steel penguin, or the Bandit King Media's panda logo holding two axes, it will be more cost-effective and collectible, and it can also advertise your company and attract the media to conduct free publicity on their own.
Judging from the popularity of Jeff Koons, it is obvious that there are forces such as galleries, auction houses, and art dealers who are secretly helping him hype and market his works. His works do have good collection value.
(End of this chapter)