Chapter 131: Futures Brokerage Company
On the morning of June 3, Lin Haoran arrived at Hong Kong's Kai Tak International Airport with Su Zhixue, Li Weiguo, and Li Weidong.
He had already arranged for tickets the day before, and they were all first-class.
Given his current wealth, there was naturally no need to save money on something like this.
In the future, he even planned to get himself a private jet.
However, there was no rush. Besides, he rarely left Hong Kong these days, as his primary focus was still developing there.
Once his companies became international and expanded their business worldwide, he would likely need to fly frequently. At that point, having a private jet of his own would make traveling anywhere much more convenient.
Li Weiguo and Li Weidong had previously accompanied Lin Haoran to the beach and several Middle Eastern countries, so flying was no longer a novelty to them. They remained remarkably calm.
Following a boss like Lin Haoran had broadened their horizons considerably. They were no longer the two young men who had just sneaked across the border and knew nothing.
Seated comfortably in the spacious first-class cabin, Lin Haoran picked up one of the magazines provided for passengers and began reading.
At 9:38 a.m., the plane slowly left the apron, accelerated down the runway, and then soared into the sky.
Perhaps because the oil crisis had caused a global economic downturn, only about two-thirds of the seats on this flight were occupied. That was also why Lin Haoran had been able to buy tickets just one day in advance.
After one refueling stop along the way, the plane finally arrived safely at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after a full 23 hours.
Since it was summer, New York was observing daylight saving time, making New York time twelve hours behind Hong Kong time.
As a result, despite traveling for twenty-three hours, it was still June 3 upon arrival.
It was now a little after 8:00 p.m. New York time on June 3.
At the airport taxi stand, Lin Haoran and the others got into a cab.
"Wall Street," Lin Haoran said directly after getting in.
"Certainly, gentlemen. Please fasten yourselves in—we're off!"
The driver was clearly a man with a good sense of humor, chatting nonstop as he introduced New York's scenery along the way.
After a full hour, the taxi finally stopped in an area surrounded by skyscrapers.
This was the famous Wall Street.
"No need for change. Keep the rest as your tip," Lin Haoran said with a smile as he handed the driver a U.S. bill.
Not far away, he immediately noticed the famous Charging Bull statue at the Wall Street intersection after getting out of the car.
"Gentlemen, for your own safety, you'd better find somewhere to stay as soon as possible. New York nights aren't exactly safe!" Perhaps because of the generous tip, the driver didn't forget to offer a warning before leaving.
"Thanks for the reminder. Goodbye!" Lin Haoran smiled and waved farewell.
He had no intention of lingering on the streets anyway. Behind prosperity lay either hardship or filth. Even he had heard about how chaotic New York was in this era.
Even the occasional police officers and speeding patrol cars failed to make him feel any safer.
Of course, Hong Kong wasn't much better, with triads everywhere.
The difference was that those gangs generally didn't dare provoke the wealthy.
The chaos at the bottom of society was something he never really experienced.
Hotels lined the streets around Wall Street.
So after the taxi drove away, Lin Haoran led Su Zhixue and the others to a nearby Hilton Hotel. They quickly completed the check-in process.
"Everyone, get some good rest," Lin Haoran said with a smile before closing his room door.
In truth, whether it was Su Zhixue or Li Weiguo and Li Weidong, this was their first time in America, so everything felt fresh and exciting.
The surrounding skyscrapers, especially, were even taller and denser than those in Hong Kong's Central district.
It was truly an eye-opening experience for them.
As for Lin Haoran, the place felt somewhat familiar. The images came from memories—back when he was a sophomore at the London Business School, he had once visited New York with classmates during a vacation. They had toured Times Square and Wall Street together.
The hotel occupied a building over thirty stories tall, and their rooms were on the twenty-fifth floor.
After locking the door, putting away his suitcase, and stretching lazily, Lin Haoran stepped onto the balcony.
The room had an excellent location. From the balcony, he could overlook the entirety of Wall Street and the surrounding skyscrapers.
The street actually called "Wall Street" was quite short and narrow. Towering office buildings lined both sides, housing numerous famous investment banks and financial institutions.
Through the dim evening lights, Lin Haoran noticed a group of thugs fighting on a nearby street below. Some wielded baseball bats, while others swung chairs grabbed from who knew where. The brawl was so lively that he couldn't help standing on the balcony to watch.
Someone was beaten until his head was covered in blood and collapsed on the ground. Before long, police cars arrived, and the gang members scattered in all directions, leaving only the injured Black man, too weak to get up, lying at the scene.
With the show over, Lin Haoran simply closed the window. The outside noise immediately disappeared—the soundproofing was excellent.
After a quick wash, he lay down on the large Simmons mattress and soon fell asleep.
A little after seven the next morning, Lin Haoran was awakened by the sound of the doorbell.
As a luxury hotel, the service was naturally excellent.
When checking in the previous night, Lin Haoran had specifically requested that breakfast and several major newspapers be delivered to them at 7:30 a.m.
It also served as an indirect wake-up call.
Looking through the peephole and confirming it was a female attendant, he opened the door.
"Sir, your breakfast and newspapers have arrived," the waitress said with a smile as she pushed in the dining cart.
"Please put them on the table. Thank you," Lin Haoran nodded.
After she left with the cart, he closed the door and went to freshen up.
Drawing back the curtains, brilliant sunlight immediately flooded the room, making it bright.
The sunlight at seven in the morning wasn't too harsh, but being more than twenty floors up, it streamed in effortlessly.
He had already adjusted his watch to New York time the previous night.
Even here, Lin Haoran maintained his habit of eating breakfast while reading the newspaper.
The Wall Street Journal carried reports on international oil prices and futures prices, but he was no longer interested in oil. He had already sold all his oil—what was the point of paying attention anymore?
What interested him now was the price of gold.
The newspaper reported that the latest international gold price had reached $252.5 per ounce, up $1.2 per ounce from before—a modest increase.
Time passed quickly, and before long it was 8:30 a.m.
Looking out from the balcony, Lin Haoran could already see numerous sharply dressed Wall Street professionals appearing on the streets.
Today was June 4, a Monday, and the New York Mercantile Exchange would open for trading at exactly 9:00 a.m.
Taking Su Zhixue and the others with him, Lin Haoran first strolled around Wall Street.
Although the morning sun was dazzling, the skyscrapers on both sides blocked much of the light, giving the entire street a rather gloomy atmosphere.
Nevertheless, Wall Street was bustling in the morning. Crowds filled the streets—not only tourists, but even more office workers employed nearby.
Soon, Lin Haoran led the three of them to the front of the famous New York Stock Exchange.
However, his destination this time was not the Stock Exchange itself, but the New York Mercantile Exchange next door—the world's largest physical commodities futures exchange.
Entering the exchange, they found it bustling with activity. Some people were on the phone, others were trading, and giant LED screens on the walls displayed real-time prices for various futures contracts.
At the New York Mercantile Exchange, almost anything could be traded: gold, silver, cocoa, sugar, soybeans, wheat, and all kinds of agricultural products.
Although New York, London, and Hong Kong were often grouped together as the world's major financial centers, simply seeing the New York Mercantile Exchange made Lin Haoran keenly aware of the gap between Hong Kong and New York in the financial industry.
He wasn't in a hurry to start trading.
He had come mainly to familiarize himself with the place.
And to witness its grandeur firsthand.
"Boss, if you want to buy gold futures, we'd better work through a large futures brokerage firm," Su Zhixue reminded him. "The brokerage coordinates with operators at the New York Mercantile Exchange, who then pass the futures orders to floor traders. It's very difficult for us to handle it ourselves."
Although Su Zhixue had never been to New York, he worked in finance and naturally understood how futures trading operated.
Lin Haoran nodded. He had never intended to trade personally. He was carrying more than 140 million U.S. dollars—a staggering amount of money in this era, enough to significantly influence the market. Letting his own people execute trades directly? Only an idiot would think that was a good idea.
"So which futures brokerage do you think we should use?" Lin Haoran asked with a smile.
"Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan—these are all major American financial giants," Su Zhixue replied after thinking for a moment. "They're excellent in securities, futures, bonds, foreign exchange, and more. As for which one to choose, that's up to you, Boss. Honestly, they're all about the same."
After hearing Su Zhixue's answer, Lin Haoran had already made his decision.
The $140 million he held was deposited with Citibank, one of America's financial giants. Naturally, futures trading was one of its core businesses.
"Let's go to Citibank headquarters!" Lin Haoran said decisively.
(End of Chapter)
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