After making up his mind, Simon asked: "So, Mr. Maekawa, what price are you planning to offer?"
Maekawa Haruo said: "According to the information we have collected, Cersei Capital's current net asset value should be around US$2.5 billion, and we can offer US$3 billion."
Simon didn't wait for Haruo Maekawa to continue, then shook his head and said: "Mr. Maekawa, this offer is too insincere. I believe you should be able to roughly judge the size of Cersei Capital's long positions. I am very optimistic about the Nikkei 225 index hitting more than 40,000 points. High, according to this prediction, as long as I keep my long positions, I will be able to earn at least another US$1 billion in the next few months. Moreover, if you still want me to avoid shorting the Tokyo stock market after the market turns, 3 billion An offer in U.S. dollars is even less likely.”
"Mr. Westeros, I am sure that you are not a greedy person. What you describe is just an idealized assumption."
"If my operation in the North American stock market two years ago had not become an established fact, everyone would probably think that it was just an idealized assumption. Mr. Maekawa, I am still very confident in my judgment."
Maekawa Haruo was silent for a moment, raised his hand slightly and said: "So, how much do you think is appropriate?"
Simon made an offer without hesitation: "$5 billion."
Haruo Maekawa blurted out: "It's too high."
Simon noticed the obvious pretentiousness in Maekawa Haruo's words, and immediately realized that his asking price might be a bit low.
If you think about it carefully, the current total market value of the Japanese stock market alone has exceeded US$7 trillion, not to mention the Japanese property market and even the entire Japanese economy.
In comparison, US$5 billion can take him out of the market, a 'variable' that may trigger a stock market crash. This price is completely worth it.
What's more, the Japanese didn't pay him a large sum of cash for free. They also had access to Cersei Capital's entire investment portfolio.
Cersei Capital has a total net asset value of about US$2.5 billion, with cash reserves of US$500 million, various types of investment portfolios worth approximately US$2 billion, and a total holding ratio of 80%.
According to calculations based on the data in Simon's memory, if this investment portfolio, which is mainly composed of stocks, bonds, stock index futures and other financial products, is held to the top of the Japanese market, including cash, the total value will not be less than 3.5 billion US dollars. . In addition, Simon also needs to give up the opportunity to short the Japanese stock market in the future, and the asking price of US$5 billion is indeed not high.
You know, in my memory, after the Japanese stock market turned around, the Nikkei 225 Index plummeted by 10,000 points in just four months, a drop of more than 25%. If Cersei Capital can establish a position of the same size as the current long position, a 25% decline in four months will be enough to bring Simon billions of dollars in profits.
Of course, this is just an ideal assumption.
Japan is actually a very closed market. I remember that after the Japanese stock market crashed, the Japanese government took a large number of harsh restrictive measures to prevent speculative capital from rushing in to sell short. What's more, stock index futures are a two-way zero-sum game. When the stock market crashes, without bullish capital, it is not easy for Cersei Capital to establish a short position.
All in all, taking this opportunity to cash out at once is definitely the best choice.
Since Haruo Maekawa, the former president of the Bank of Japan, personally took the initiative, the major Japanese banks and major chaebols must be the ones footing the bill behind this transaction.
With the rapid development of Japan's economy in recent years, all the top ten largest banks in the world are Japanese banks. The total assets of these banks range from hundreds of billions of dollars to trillions of dollars. As we all know, the economic strength of Japan's major chaebols is even stronger.
These capital forces just scrape together a little bit from their own fingers, and US$5 billion is more than enough.
However, even though he realized that his offer was low, Simon had no intention of going back on his word.
In less than half a year, the principal amount of US$1.57 billion soared to US$5 billion. This not only far exceeded Simon's expectations, but also saved him a lot of time. By cashing out such a huge sum of money in advance, Simon can then concentrate on turning his attention to the North American bond market, oil futures and even many other things.
"Mr. Maekawa, the price of US$5 billion is very reasonable. I think you don't intend to cash out immediately after buying out Cersei Capital's investment portfolio. If we reach an agreement as soon as possible and you can provide certain guarantees, Cersei Capital can "Continuing to increase my position will send a signal to the outside world that I am still optimistic about the Japanese stock market, which can offset the risks caused by Friday's plunge to the greatest extent."
Haruo Maekawa just showed a slight hesitation, nodded quickly, and continued to talk about Japan's conditions: "Simon, we can accept such an offer. However, in addition to the conditions just now, we also hope that you will continue to accept the offer on the surface. Lead the operations of Cersei Capital. Of course, this is only on the surface, we will control the operation of Cersei Capital remotely."
Simon immediately understood the subtext of Haruo Maekawa.
The Japanese want to rely on Cersei Capital to maintain investor confidence in the Japanese stock market.
If Simon is short on the Japanese stock market, the results are likely to be disastrous, as can be seen from the one-day plunge in the Japanese stock market on Friday. On the contrary, if Simon remains bullish on the Japanese stock market, a large number of short-selling capitals who are eyeing the Japanese stock market will not dare to make rash bets.
Cersei Capital happens to be the most intuitive display of Simon's personal will.
Everyone knows how bubbly the Japanese stock market is.
The main purpose of what the Japanese are doing now is to buy time so that they can take more measures to promote a soft landing of the Japanese economy.
Therefore, Simon speculated that after the Japanese bought Cersei Capital's investment portfolio, they would not choose to cash out unless the situation was completely irreversible.
As long as it can buy more time for the Japanese economy, billions of dollars of funds, even if they are completely lost, are worth it. After all, if a stock market crash occurs and the Japanese government wants to rescue the market, even if it spends tens of billions of dollars, it may not be able to do so.
After clarifying the pros and cons of these joints, Simon once again felt that the price he had just offered was too low.
However, as Haruo Maekawa just said, Simon is indeed not a greedy person.
Perhaps if his offer were higher, the Japanese would grit their teeth and agree, but the relationship between the two parties would not be as peaceful as it is now.
After all, in the hostile mergers that have been popular in recent years, the acquired company has sent away the hostile acquirer by redeeming its shares, and the premium rarely exceeds 100%. Cersei Capital's net asset value is only US$2.5 billion. If Simon's offer exceeds US$5 billion, this transaction will not be a business, but a blackmail.
5 billion US dollars, a 100% premium, is probably a psychological price that the Japanese are more likely to accept.
Although he had been cultivated in his bones for a long time with an instinctive resistance to the Japanese, Simon had no intention of deliberately confronting the Japanese.
As a human being in two lifetimes, Simon has no sense of belonging to the United States, nor does he have much hatred for Japan. He is just a lonely ghost who is lucky enough to occupy other people's bodies. All he can protect is the interests of himself and those around him.
Seeing that Haruo Maekawa was still waiting for his answer, Simon nodded and added: "Mr. Maekawa, I can agree with you to continue to use Cersei Capital for operations, but I will not publicly express any views on the Japanese economy, regardless of Is it positive or negative? In addition, Cersei Capital still belongs to me, and you can only get ownership of five sub-funds. Moreover, after this incident, I also hope that you can sell the shells of these five sub-funds. Return it to me. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't return it, but they can no longer be affiliated with Cersei Capital. Well, the period is also limited to the five years we just agreed."
"No problem," Haruo Maekawa readily agreed, reaching out to shake Simon's hand. After the deal was concluded, he couldn't wait to talk about Simon's proposal: "Mr. Westeros, we can pay a sum of 5 today." With a margin of US$100 million, I hope you can fulfill your promise just now and increase Cersei Capital’s long positions as promised after the market opens tomorrow.”
Simon let go of Maekawa's hand and nodded: "Of course, in fact, in order to avoid more unnecessary speculation in the market, I plan to leave Australia in the afternoon."
"This is best," Maekawa Haruo said, and then asked: "But, what is our specific transaction agreement?"
The two of them had just agreed on a general plan, and many details still needed to be considered in detail.
Simon said: "My girlfriend Jenny and Tony can negotiate with you on my behalf."
Haruo Maekawa reminded: "Mr. Westeros, we hope that this matter can be kept as secret as possible. The fewer people who know, the better."
"I understand, but I can't stay in Australia forever. Moreover, during this period, Jenny and Tony have been in charge of Cersei Capital. If you want to continue to maintain the operation of Cersei Capital, the two of them will definitely still be in charge. You have to get involved. Moreover, it is impossible for us to hide this from investors, but I will try my best to cooperate and control the news. If you feel it is necessary, you can also sign a confidentiality agreement."
"Then," Haruo Maekawa stood up, bowed slightly and extended his hand to Simon again, and said, "I hope we can have a happy cooperation this time."
Simon also stood up, stretched out his hand to shake hands with the other person, and said with a smile: "I hope so too."
After the matter was settled, Maekawa Haruo and his party left quickly.
Simon introduced the recent transaction to Janet and Anthony. Both of them knew how much Cersei Capital had benefited, and naturally they would not object. Anthony immediately called Raymond Johnston who was still in Western Australia, hoping that the old man would come back to take charge of the overall situation.
For other investors in Cersei Capital, it would be safest for the old man to communicate in person.
If you can cash out in one go, no other investors will object. The key is to keep it confidential.
Simon is not too worried about this matter. The forces that can be selected to invest in Cersei Capital are all closely related to the Johnston family. The investment threshold set by the old man was very high at the beginning, and in the end only nine external capitals including the Murdoch family, Fairfax family, and Parker family participated.
In the 1980s, the Australian economy was very dependent on Japan. Like the Johnston family, most of the Australian forces that invested in Cersei Capital had various connections with Japanese capital. Since everyone has benefited, and perhaps bound by the confidentiality agreement, there is no need to risk offending the Japanese to expose the other party's plan.
In fact, as long as proper communication is carried out, other investors do not need to know who bought out Cersei Capital's investment portfolio.
Of course, these details are not something Simon needs to worry about.
Raymond Johnston flew back from Perth, Western Australia, at two o'clock in the afternoon.
Simon and the old man met for a brief discussion and then rushed to Melbourne Airport in the western suburbs. Janet would stay in Melbourne for a while.
In Melbourne Airport, watching the tractor towing a Boeing 767 to the runway, Simon said to Janet next to him: "It just so happens that this time I can buy a Boeing 767 first. I don't like renting it all the time. I will place the order when I get back." , you can go back later and design the interior decoration yourself. In the future, we will also be able to travel to and from Australia more conveniently."
Janet held Simon's arm, hummed, and then said, "Auntie has helped you buy the remaining buildings on the land in Manhattan."
Simon nodded: "I know."
Although it was handed over to the shell company established with Veronica's help for operation, the funds still had to be transferred from the Westeros company, and Simon naturally knew about this.
Due to the continued decline in the North American real estate market, Simon's purchase of the property between 59th and 60th Streets east of Madison Avenue in Manhattan for the construction of the Westeros Tower became very smooth.
The total cost of purchasing all six buildings, including the land, was US$173 million, which was much higher than Simon originally estimated.
Moreover, if you want to imitate the appearance of the Avengers Tower and build the tallest building in Manhattan, the cost to be paid is also very expensive. Simon privately commissioned a real estate design company to make rough statistics. Just for the main building, the cost will not be less than 500 million US dollars. If Simon has high requirements for the building's construction materials, design details, safety protection, etc., the cost will be even less. upper limit.
In addition, to build such a building, the user problems of the building must first be solved. Otherwise, if a building with more than 100 floors is left vacant, the results will be disastrous.
The Westeros Tower is Simon's personal dream. Even if the user issues are not considered for the time being, Simon has no intention of settling with low standards. He hopes that everything will be built according to the highest standards. As a result, the cost of building the Westeros Tower will rise to the US$1 billion level.
One billion U.S. dollars may not be much in twenty or thirty years, but it is a sky-high price in this era.
Although Simon's profits from the Japanese financial market this time were enough to pay for the construction of the Westeros Tower, he had many more pressing things to do and had to postpone this plan. Moreover, the idea of purchasing a Boeing 767 just came up, which is also a compromise.
Simon wanted to fulfill the three wishes he had excitedly mentioned to Janet that night, but the reality was hard to satisfy.
After all, if Simon is eager to realize his wish, he may not have enough capital to protect those things.
After all, I am still not rich enough.
Seeing that Simon just responded and stopped talking, Janet suddenly chuckled, turned her head and rubbed Simon's shoulder, and said: "Are you disappointed this time?"
Simon was confused: "Huh?"
"Auntie has been in Singapore in the past few days."
Simon decisively pretended to be stupid: "What happened to your aunt?"
"Hmph," Janet glanced sideways at Simon and hummed, "Someone was drunk last night and sniffed around someone's neck like a puppy."
Simon was not fooled at all and shook his head: "I'm not drunk, and besides, you fell asleep before me."
"In the middle of the night, I woke up."
"I sleep well and don't do weird things in my dreams."
"How do you know what you look like when you're asleep?"
"You snore when you fall asleep."
"would not!!!"
"how do you know?"
"You little bastard, you almost changed the subject," Janet hugged Simon's arm tightly and accused her, but her tone softened and she said softly: "This is wrong, Simon."
Simon has always known that Janet is an extremely smart woman, not to mention that the two have been together for so long, and there is probably no second person in the world who knows him better than her. And, starting with Catherine, there was something about him that was difficult to hide.
After a pause, Simon still hummed inaudibly.
The two were silent for a moment, and Janet leaned her head on Simon's shoulder and said: "Actually, you can find some girls who are younger than you, they are more suitable for you. Well, don't be too young, otherwise it will be very troublesome. "
Simon smiled and asked: "What should you do?"
"Of course I am your girlfriend, and I will also be your wife in the future," Janet said matter-of-factly: "When a man eats outside, he always has to go home. Dad used to do this often, and he and his mother still had this problem after so many years. Very well."
Simon pretended to be interested and said: "Tell me more, maybe I can find an opportunity to blackmail your old man."
"Why are you blackmailing? A beating is enough," Janet patted Simon and said, "My mother told me about this. She used to like to watch the old man make up lies to deceive her after staying out all night. My father has settled down as he has grown old over the years. Little bastard, we will be like our parents until we grow old, right?"
Simon nodded without hesitation, feeling the slight melancholy in Janet's tone, and stretched out his hand to hug the woman into his arms.
For the sake of Cersei Capital, there were still reporters around, who happened to take a warm picture of the two of them standing in the slanting sunlight and cuddling each other.
The Boeing 767 entered the runway, everything was ready, and Neil Bennett signaled Simon not far away that he could board the plane.
After a few final words of farewell, Simon was about to leave, but was pulled back by Janet and asked: "Little bastard, do I really snore when I sleep?"
Simon smiled, lowered his head, kissed Janet on the lips, and said, "Of course not, I'm lying to you."
"real?"
"real."
Janet was still not at ease and warned: "Don't lie to me. I'll take a nap when I get back and let my mother take a look at it."
A casual joke to change the subject seems to have serious consequences.
Simon stopped teasing, hugged Janet for the last time, and walked to the private plane on the runway.