America's Road to Wealth

Following American Pacific Commercial Bank on November 9.

Announced that the tender offer price for Express Company would be increased to US$35.

On the day.

American Express's stock rose from $30.5 to over $37 in one fell swoop.

The second day, November 10, and the third day, November 11, are Sundays, and global stock markets are closed.

The fourth day, November 12th.

As soon as the market opened in the morning, the price of American Express's stock exceeded $40.

On this day, Jim Walton, one of the shareholders of American Express, came to Los Angeles.

At the foot of Beverly Hills, Abel was in the business conference box of the Executive Lounge of the InterContinental Hotel where he and Ikana stayed last year.

"Sorry, Mr. Smith, we think American Express's share price is significantly undervalued, so, you know."

In the bright and simple business conference room of the InterContinental Hotel.

To the left and right of Abel, sat David Jones and Alan Baker, the two humming generals.

David always had a smile on his face, while Alan Baker looked calm.

Behind him stood several members of Smith's Intelligence Group, as well as Abel's Four Diamonds.

Opposite Abel, Jim Walton brought over his own private investment company.

The person who just spoke is Jim Walton, the major shareholder who holds 1.5% of American Express shares.

"Snapped!"

Abel smiled and snapped his fingers.

He reached out and took the checkbook that David handed over at the right time.

Under the scorching gazes of everyone on the opposite side, Abel picked up the signature pen and drew circles on the cash check.

Tear--

The cash check was torn off, Abel raised the corners of his mouth, held the cash check between two fingers with a slight smile and said calmly:

"This is $750 million, at a price of $35 per share. Mr. Walton, if you agree to the deal, then this is yours."

"."

Jim Walton's eyes couldn't help but stare at the cash check trembling slightly in mid-air.

Jim suppressed the slightest impulse to agree. After all, greed took over in his heart, and he wanted more.

"Sorry." Jim Walton smiled and wanted to say something.

"You refused, right?"

The faint smile on Abel's face disappeared, and he asked again with an indifferent expression.

"Yeah, I don't think the offer right now can" Jim Walton wanted to say at least fifty dollars.

Even when Jim entered the market, American Express's stock price was only $10 per share.

According to Abel's quotation, Jim can already earn almost US$500 million.

But people are greedy after all, and the richer people are, the more greedy they are. Jim Walton is also a human being, and he is still a very wealthy person. Of course, his greed is also stronger.

Jim Walton wanted more. He felt that one billion dollars was enough to make Abel the richest man in the world.

But what happened next made Jim Walton feel bad. .

"Stab it, sting it~~"

Jim Walton and his entourage were stunned and pale.

Abel took back his hand indifferently, took the cash check and tore it open in the middle.

Then he leisurely folded it in half and tore it apart again until it was torn into shreds. He spread his hands and let the pieces of paper fall on the conference table.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Goodbye, Mr. Walton."

Abel stood up with a smile and raised his chin slightly.

He looked at the ugly-looking Jim Walton arrogantly and sharply, tugged on the hem of his suit, and walked directly to the temporary business conference room provided by the InterContinental Hotel.

The others followed closely, while David, who kept smiling and looked the gentlest, paused slightly.

Under Jim Walton's waiting gaze, David gathered the scraps of check paper on the table into his hands and put them into his pocket.

Then David smiled and nodded at the other party before leaving directly, looking like a gentleman.

But what he did happened to make Jim Walton feel like his lungs were about to explode.

"Farke! Farke!"

As soon as David's men left, Jim Walton immediately began to curse.

With an extremely ugly look on his face, he stood up and wanted to curse.

Dong Dong——

A few seconds later, a trader working for Jim Walton appeared at the door of the conference room with a somewhat anxious look and knocked on the door twice.

Under the gaze of the boss, I reported the report nervously.

"Mr. Walton, just now American Pacific Commercial Bank announced that it will not raise the general tender offer price for American Express again. The purchase price will only be 35 US dollars, not one cent more."

"After American Pacific Commercial Bank announced the news, American Express's stock price fell in response. From the highest price of 41.5 U.S. dollars per share a few days ago, it has now fallen to 39.5 U.S. dollars per share. According to data analysis, it will continue to fall."

"Peng!"

Jim Walton kicked the desk hard, and it turned out that the desk at the InterContinental Hotel was too hard and heavy.

Instead of kicking, Jim was in so much pain that he couldn't help but jump on one foot, looking a little embarrassed.

"Farke! Farke!"

"Hiss~~"

Jim gasped repeatedly, the kick was too painful.

But now is not the time for physical pain. Jim Walton endured the pain and immediately ordered a subordinate.

"Call Abel Smith immediately! Tell him that I am willing to use the conditions just now to complete the deal! $750 million, just $750 million."

Jim Walton said.

The general manager of his private investment company quickly contacted Smith Think Group.

The call was easily answered, but the result made the general manager look ugly.

"What's going on?" Jim Walton, whose foot no longer hurts so much, became a little worried when he saw his face.

The general manager of the investment company said: "BOSS, Alan Baker said that your refusal just now made his boss very angry. So Abel Smith decided not to buy any more of your shares in American Express."

Jim Walton was startled, and an angry look appeared on his face: "Farke! Farke! Farke the Smith! Shetter!"

No matter how much the son of the founder of Walmart scolds him, he ultimately missed the perfect opportunity to quickly sell all his shares at once.

US stock market.

American Express's stock also fell crazily, falling to around $35 before the market closed on the 12th.

At this price, it stabilizes.

Because of Pacific Bank of Commerce, it does exactly what it says, you can buy whatever you want under $35.

For stocks above this, it is indifferent.

This looks a bit like Sampra Energy, but the difference is that this time Abel did not deliberately wait for the stock to rise sharply before taking action.

Before it got out of hand, he asked Pacific Commercial Bank to issue a notice.

Compared with the last time when we joined forces with those organizations to cut leeks, this time some unlucky ones also suffered heavy losses.

But it is not like the market manipulation like last time, so not many financial media came out to criticize it this time.

The next day is November 13th.

In the morning, Abel's motorcade had just driven out of 812 North Bedford Road in Beverly Hills.

David in the passenger seat answered a phone call, and after answering the phone.

David turned to look at Abel, "Boss, there is a spoiler. After the market opened in the morning, a large amount of money entered the market and began to sweep up the stock of the freight forwarding company."

Abel frowned slightly, but he wasn't too worried.

In a hostile takeover, if there is a black knight like yourself, there will also be a white knight.

The probability of a white knight appearing is too high. Whether it is an ally of American Express or a speculator hoping to make a fortune, this kind of thing cannot be prevented at all.

"Do you know who the other party is?"

"I know that the other party did not hide it. According to the information provided by the exchange, the funds came from Soros Fund Management Company."

No one needs to explain, just by hearing the name, you will know who is behind this company.

Soros Fund Management is a fund company owned by George Soros.

Different from the Quantum Fund he founded with Rogers, Soros Fund Management Company is mainly engaged in normal financial investments, mainly stock investments.

In contrast, Quantum Fund is one of the most famous hedge funds. It plays a small role and uses super exaggerated leverage to take advantage of the US dollar tide and harvest the world.

Last time I dealt with the Norwegian krone, it can be said that I stood on the opposite side of Soros and international hot money.

Although Soros retreated early, his losses were not great.

But Abel let Soros waste several months in Europe, but gained nothing and even lost millions of dollars.

This is already a defeat for George Soros.

You must know that at the beginning, Soros frequently showed his favor to Abel.

In the middle, Abel also hinted at one point why international hot money and Soros stood together and everyone happily harvested Norwegian leeks.

But later, when Abel was in a profitable situation, he immediately turned his back and refused to recognize anyone.

Standing between Norway and Soros, he vacillated and took advantage of both sides.

Although Soros said nothing afterwards, because Abel's approach was too in line with the tone of financial capitalists.

Even deep down in his heart, Soros was still laughing at Abel for his immaturity.

If Abel and Soros had changed positions at that time, the old guy felt that he had dozens of ways to win even more Abel!

Comparing his feelings, Soros did not think there was anything unusual about Abel's actions.

If it were other financial capitalists, they would do the same thing, or even do it more outrageously.

But after this incident, the two became enemies.

Given the opportunity to retaliate or add insult to injury, George Soros would never hesitate.

Just like when Abel stood in the middle and swayed from side to side, seeking benefits from both sides!

This time the old guy would want to take revenge on himself in the stock market, and Abel was not surprised at all.

Abel squinted his eyes slightly, with a cold light flashing. No matter what, if the other party comes to disrupt the situation at this time, it will cause him some trouble.

If Soros has contacted American Express and formed an alliance, then the trouble may be even greater.

No matter what, since the other party couldn't bear the loneliness, he took action.

It is impossible for Abel to ignore it, and he cannot ignore it. After all, Soros Fund Management Company is also one of the giants on Wall Street.

Behind him stands Soros of Oilers Capital. If he really wants to get serious, his financial strength is very strong.

If you can dig holes into Soros, you can't ask Soros not to fight back.

"Haha, let's see who is more skilled!"

Abel raised the corners of his mouth, his eyes became sharp, and he said to himself.

On November 13th.

After learning that Soros Fund Management Company had taken action.

American Express's top executives, represented by Kenneth Chenault, immediately publicly showed their favor to George Soros.

Soros Fund Management Company is also very cooperative.

George Soros himself did not come forward.

Tims, the general manager of Soros Fund Management Company, held a press conference this morning.

At the press conference, Timms praised the value of Ichiban Express.

It is claimed that the actual value of this company, which has a long history and is favored by Buffett, Smith and Soros, far exceeds its stock price.

Timms claimed that Soros Fund Management's move was not a speculative move, but a value investment.

Soros Fund Management Company will hold American Express shares for a long time and regard it as a major holding of the company.

After this press conference ends, wait until the US stock market closes at noon.

Stimulated by this major good news, American Express's stock surged from $35.9 at yesterday's closing price to $39 per share again.

At this time, whether it is investors or the financial media.

Everyone wants to know what Abel Smith means now.

Soros even stood up and expressed that he would compete with him for American Express.

Wouldn’t the world’s richest man come out and say a few words?

This is the only service company in the Dow Jones Industrial Index.

Buffett happens to be optimistic about it, Smith is optimistic about it, and now even Soros is optimistic about it.

Of course I bought it.

It is obvious that American Express's stock price will rise after the market reopens in the afternoon.

At this time, Abel was already at the intersection of Highland Street and Sunset Boulevard, the busiest intersection in Hollywood, Los Angeles.

To be precise, he was in the new headquarters building of MGM Film Group next to it.

A few months ago, Abel took a fancy to a fifty-story square commercial building here.

After taking a liking to it, he directly asked his New Starting Point Real Estate Company to take action.

After buying this building, it was rented to MGM at a very cheap price and used as the new headquarters of the film group.

A few months later, MGM Film Group's subsidiaries such as MGM Films, DreamWorks Films, Marvel Films, DreamWorks Animation, and Pixar Animation basically moved here to work.

Since the building is spacious enough, there is still a lot of office space left.

DreamWorks Music also has a recording studio here.

Some subsidiaries of Smith Media also opened a Los Angeles branch here.

A large number of office workers and staff moved in, making the building suddenly lively.

Tourists and passers-by who pass by Sunset Boulevard or Highland Street every day will see the parking lot outside the building that has been hung with the "MGM Film Group" sign, filled with all kinds of cars.

Being able to work in such a spacious and comfortable place with new equipment, new building decoration and very important geographical location.

All the staff were happy, including the stars and actors.

The only downside is that the building is located at one of Hollywood's busiest intersections.

During the daily rush hour, unless you are stuck in traffic for more than an hour or two, it will be as if the sun is rising from the west.

Abel always likes to work in high places.

His office here is naturally located on the top fifty floors, directly facing the intersection below.

At noon.

In front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window of the chairman's office, Abel put his hands on his hips.

Looking at the traffic jam below for at least several kilometers, he felt a sense of schadenfreude.

Turning around, he looked at the sofa in the lounge area of ​​the office.

Robert Iger, CEO of MGM Film Group, CEO of Smith Media, and others were sitting on the sofa looking at him.

Abel walked over and faced his subordinates. He smiled and spread his hands——

"It seems that it is necessary to prepare a business helicopter for you? Otherwise, it will be more troublesome when you encounter such a big traffic jam when traveling for urgent matters."

Robert smiled and said: "Many employees now prefer to come on bicycles and motorcycles."

Michael Levine also joked: "I don't need employees, I just ride a bicycle myself. Driving is too congested."

The great director Spielberg, the head of DreamWorks movies next to him, thought to himself - the luxury apartment you live in is less than a mile away, of course you can ride a bicycle.

But Spielberg didn't say anything, because the mansion where the great director lives is closer to here, and it only takes less than ten minutes to walk.

"Okay. Let's not talk about this problem." Abel chuckled and said, "It's already November. Let's talk about next year's plan."

Today he is here, convening the people in charge of movies within the entire Smith Media Group.

The heads of the major film companies under the MGM Film Group are all here at this time.

Abel glanced at it and directly named the great director Spielberg.

"Steven." Abel smiled and said, "How about you talk first? Let's talk about next year's DreamWorks movie plans."

The three giants of DreamWorks Movies, after selling all their company shares to Abel.

According to the contract, the three people only need to make movies or engage in movie-related work.

Smith Media, which acquired DreamWorks Movies, has priority in hiring them.

In fact, this is indeed the case.

Jeffrey Katzenberg from the DreamWorks Big Three, who is now in charge of DreamWorks Animation, is also here today.

David Geffen is responsible for the music of DreamWorks. Today is mainly about movies, so David is not here.

The famous director Steven Spielberg is currently the general manager and chief producer of DreamWorks Movies.

In addition to making his own films, Spielberg is also responsible for DreamWorks films.

After all, hundreds of millions of dollars are not that easy to get. The value of the three giants themselves is the most fascinating thing about DreamWorks.

Spielberg does not object to this. Being a general manager has a general manager's remuneration, and the chief producer also has a producer's remuneration.

In addition, if you are making a movie, the director should not be paid less.

Although he has a little more work and a lot of responsibility, he also has a little more power in Hollywood.

What's more, the young man standing in front of him is the richest man in the world.

The great director thinks there is nothing wrong with working for the world's richest man.

"This year's work is basically done," Spielberg said:

"Due to Jeffrey's injury in the early stage, David was left alone. Therefore, after DreamWorks came here this year, they only shot one movie. This movie is currently in post-production and is expected to be released in February and March next year. Oh. , the name of the movie is "Tuxedo."

"'Tuxedo'?"

Abel felt that the name of this movie seemed familiar, and he seemed to have seen it.

Spielberg explained:

"The director is Kevin Donovan, a new director, but very capable. The star is Jack Cheng, a famous Chinese action star. His Rush Hour last year did well at the box office, and we thought he would be very popular in Hollywood, so Invited him to film Tuxedo.”

Abel nodded, no wonder he felt that this work sounded familiar.

It turned out to be Cheng Long's work. He remembered that he had seen it and it was quite good.

"Aside from this movie?" Abel asked again.

"There are currently two productions planned."

Spielberg reported: "One is "Cat and Mouse", which will be directed by me, and I plan to invite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks."

"The other is an alien science fiction movie. The director is tentatively confirmed to be Tobe Hooper. The actors are tentatively named Emily Bogle, Dakota Fanning and others."

"Oh, that all sounds good."