Chapter 605: 1 Cockroach

Chapter 605: 1 Cockroach

Chapter 605 A Cockroach

When there is a bull market.

It seems that everyone is a "young version of Buffett" and "Wolves of Wall Street" are everywhere.

If you ask people what lessons they have learned from the stock market crashes in history, the answer is - they have learned nothing.

Still easily affected by market sentiment, getting hot-headed and crazy, just like gamblers in a casino.

Seeing that Apple had already digested the good news, Fan Wumian fled decisively, fearing that if he delayed for one more day, he would increase the risk of being affected by the negative impact of the subprime mortgage crisis.

When all the long positions were liquidated, the total profit from this long position in Apple shares was temporarily set at more than 1 million US dollars. This figure was not as amazing as he had imagined, but the profit margin was close to 4700%, which was already quite good.

The charm of leveraged investment lies in the ability to make a small investment to gain a big return, and to use limited capital to strive for a higher rate of return. The disadvantage is that the risk is also very high.

Based on Fan Wumian’s total holdings, he would lose more than $1 million for every 1600% drop in Apple’s stock price.

If he was 80% to 90% sure that Apple's stock price would rise before the release of the first iPhone, now that the shoe has dropped, the rise and fall of the stock price is no longer under his control.

Fan Wumian can also find investment channels with higher returns and greater stability. In the short term, there is really no need to hold a large long position and continue to gamble on Apple stocks.

The first generation of iPhone has just been released, and it will take another half a year before it is actually put on the market. By then, the supporting software ecosystem should have been initially developed, and it won’t be too late to make a comeback.
President Wei of Bank of China (Hong Kong) is very attentive.

In the name of a private jet leasing company under AVIC, several contacts were made with France's Dassault Aviation, and the price of purchasing the Falcon 7X aircraft was reduced to US$4399 million, with a 75% discount on the customized parts of the cabin.

Because Fan Wumian is a celebrity and can help promote this private business jet, he will also provide an additional three-year routine inspection, engine maintenance and avionics system maintenance service. The annual cost is approximately US$100 million. The three-year gift is equivalent to avoiding US$300 million in expenses.

As for the subsequent usage costs, the flight cost per hour is approximately HK$15000, with additional expenses such as crew, parking fees, interior and exterior maintenance, insurance, etc.

Fan Wumian needs to pay for the insurance premium out of his own pocket, but according to President Wei, after purchasing the plane, it can be managed in Singapore, and he will save whatever can be saved.

For example, the custody fees and crew costs, the two together would cost about 280 million Hong Kong dollars per year. President Wei specifically applied to the higher authorities and came up with a plan to help him waive four years of expenses by asking Fan Wumian to be the spokesperson for the Bank of China Aviation Leasing Company.

All I can say is that once you reach a certain level, everyone around you becomes truly friendly and kind.

Fan Wumian, a major client of the Hong Kong Bank of China, clearly did not raise any requests, but President Wei himself tried to consider everything for him and try to secure all kinds of benefits.

Not only that, France's Dassault Aviation also promised that as long as the order is placed as soon as possible, it will give priority to the production and delivery of his aircraft. If the changes to the exterior and cabin are not too major, it is expected that the first officially delivered Falcon 6X will be delivered to him in June this year.

There is nothing more to say.

The American private jet leasing company spent a total of US$11 billion to purchase 24 Falcon 7Xs, and the price that Dassault Aviation offered to Fan Wumian was even cheaper, which was already a loss-making bottom price.

therefore.

After careful consideration, Fan Wumian decided to go directly from New York to Paris, France to sign the contract and place the order, and he also found an expert from the Bank of China Aviation Leasing Company to serve as a consultant to avoid making mistakes due to lack of knowledge.

France's Dassault Aviation was also very straightforward.

After learning the news, they directly sent a Falcon 7X test aircraft to New York to pick him up. The French female salesperson who was responsible for introducing the performance of the aircraft looked % similar to Charlize Theron and was only in her twenties.

Judging from the fact that the salesperson dared to slip Fan Wumian a business card with a bright red lip print on it right under Zuo Ziyan's nose, his performance was probably not too bad and he made a lot of commissions from his customers. The Hermès Birkin bag he was carrying was worth tens of thousands of dollars.

en route.

From the cockpit of the Falcon 7x, to the various facilities in the cabin, to the safety performance, sound insulation, usage cost and so on, Fan Wumian is quite satisfied.

Especially at the rear of the cabin, the sofa can be opened to become a bed, and when the door is closed it becomes a bedroom, which is more practical than what you might imagine.

The only problem was that the passengers in the front row had to walk past the sofa to use the bathroom at the tail of the plane. If Fan Wumian closed the door to rest, the others could only stare blankly and endure it.

Considering that most flights are short-distance and the number of long-distance flights is not too often, this small difficulty can be overcome. Large passenger planes like Boeing 747 and 777 are spacious and can accommodate seven or eight toilets, but the price is as high as to million US dollars. Fan Wumian cannot afford it for the time being, and there is no need to bite the bullet and force himself to buy a large plane.

On the long sofa at the rear of the cabin.

There was an aisle in the middle and sofas on both sides. Fan Wumian and Zuo Ziyan lay down to rest. It would take more than three hours for the plane to land.

Zuo Ziyan said at this moment:
"This plane is really comfortable. The cabin is not noisy at all. The space doesn't seem that big, but it's already very good. I find that your celebrity status seems to be useful wherever you are. Jeff Koons in New York is willing to give you a discount, and the same goes for the airline."

Fan Wumian replied with a smile:

"Unless you are a monopoly business that cannot be replaced by others, if you want to increase your revenue, you have to keep spending money on advertising. If you look at it from another angle, it's like Dassault Aviation and Jeff Koons giving up part of their profits and asking me to help with promotion."

"It's just like the Bank of China Aviation Leasing Company waived my fees for four years, so it's not a loss. With a little publicity, countless people will know about this company, which will bring them a lot of profits over time."

"Rich people in Asia like to buy private jets from Gulfstream and Bombardier. Most people don't even know Dassault. I bought the Falcon 7X to help promote it. Of course, the company's executives are happy to see it..."

Zuo Ziyan reached out and pressed the sofa, then changed the subject and said:
"I don't know what material it is, but it's so soft and comfortable to lie on. The female salesperson from Dassault Aviation, Amber, just mentioned the wall's noise reduction when she was introducing this place. I feel like she's a bit special. She even flirted with the captain before."

Fan Wumian smiled and said:
"French women are naturally more unrestrained. Influenced by traditional Asian concepts, men always subconsciously think that being able to win over a girl is worth being proud of. In Europe and the United States, many girls are hunters, and men become their prey. Many concepts are very different, so there is no need to make a fuss."

Zuo Ziyan studied in the UK, so of course she knew all this.

For example, in her college, there was an aristocratic socialite who successfully won over several of the most popular boys at Cambridge University. She even caused a sensation in the school forum because she privately commented on who was the best among them. However, this did not stop the socialite from continuing to be sought after. She was pursued by other boys from time to time and was extremely popular.

If this kind of girl were in some schools in Asia, she would have been drowned in saliva long ago. Adjectives like "fickle" and "improper" would be considered relatively civilized.

On the other hand, Zuo Ziyan herself is usually accompanied by a female bodyguard hired by her father. Apart from studying, she seldom attends parties and gatherings. She is almost regarded as a "nerd" by other classmates at Cambridge University.

Zuo Ziyan asked in a gossipy tone, lowering her voice:

"Put the bed here, separated by a thin wall, and outside are assistants and bodyguards. Who would dare to do such a thing?"

Fan Wumian also whispered:
"It's okay to be thick-skinned. Some people may get more excited in public places. Aren't the bathrooms of many passenger planes occupied by couples for a long time? When I get my plane, we'll find an opportunity to fly alone next time. We won't bring anyone with us, only the crew members."

Zuo Ziyan just replied "hate" but didn't say no.

After arriving in Paris, I stayed in the Eiffel Tower Suite of the Athena Hotel arranged by Dassault Aviation. Standing by the window, I could see the Eiffel Tower, which is very famous but actually not very interesting.

I took a stroll along the Champs-Elysées that night, and the next day I went to Dassault Aviation to sign a contract for a basic Falcon 7X. I only made requirements on the wood veneer, cabin color, and seats, and no other changes were made.

Come here.

We stayed one more night in Paris, and then took a free Falcon 7X directly from Paris to the port city.

It was also on the way that Fan Wumian learned through President Wei's insider information that Huifeng Bank had suffered heavy losses in its North American mortgage business and the scale of asset write-downs might be as high as tens of billions of dollars.

Bank write-downs usually occur when asset values ​​decline or become unrecoverable, such as loan defaults, falling bond values, etc. The scale is as high as tens of billions of dollars, indicating that the situation is already quite serious.

After hearing the news, Fan Wumian was shocked and felt even more excited than the surge in Apple’s stock.

The reason is that once the subprime mortgage crisis begins, the risks will be truly released, impacting market confidence. At that time, the two hedge funds on Wall Street will surely become popular and business will become quite good.

After careful questioning, Fan Wumian learned from President Wei that the news came from a senior executive of Huifeng Bank. They were both members of the Hong Kong City Bankers Club. During the conversation, they learned that Huifeng headquarters was busy withdrawing funds to prepare for reducing the pressure of appropriations.

Well known.

When you find a cockroach in your home, it often means that there are already a bunch of cockroaches.

It is not clear yet to what extent the situation has deteriorated, but in Fan Wumian's eyes, this is obviously a huge positive, and many arrangements can be prepared.
(End of this chapter)