Chapter 562

At the headquarters of East Asia Japan, Charles directly called Lily Ying, "Junichi Sijima from Nomura Securities agreed to invest 300 billion yen. My account also has over 200 million dollars in cash. Short the Euro entirely. The exchange rate now is favorable. I bet we'll make some pocket money in just a few months."

"Haha, pocket money? 300 billion yen is about 3.3 billion dollars. If the Euro depreciation is at least 20%, how much are the fees?" Lily Ying laughed on the phone.

"40%. I'm an easy-going guy," Charles laughed too.

If the Euro dropped by 20%, Nomura Holdings would gain over 600 million dollars. The 40% fee would be nearly 240 million, plus Charles' own investment of 200 million, resulting in almost 36 millions more in profit.

Well-executed, this could easily bring in 300 million dollars. As for why Nomura didn't do it themselves, if Nomura directly shorted the Euro with 300 billion yen, the EU would politically pressure Japan the next day!

Using a Wall Street partner was the best move, and Capet's fees were really reasonable. In Wall Street funds like Goldman Sachs, at least half the profits go to Wall Street anyway.

"Got it!" Lily Ying put down the phone. She had no doubts about the timing Charles mentioned for Wall Street's move against the Euro.

However, this was a scheme set by the Goldman Sachs consortium and Washington. Lily Ying herself didn't want to get involved. She wasn't too keen on shorting the Euro.

When the EU settled scores later, Wall Street bigwigs wouldn't be touched, but Asian capitalists like her could be easily manipulated!

But, since Charles had her invest under Capet Corporation's name along with Wall Street, and the amount wasn't large, it didn't really matter. Moreover, Nomura Securities, one of Asia's top securities investment companies, was backing it up.

Also, with Capet Corporation's status on Wall Street and in America, there was no need to worry. Capet never took the lead anyway!

"Really thrilling," Lily Ying couldn't help but rub her face with her hand. Shorting US real estate, playing with US treasuries, investing in bank stocks, and now directly shorting the Euro.

Each move was more thrilling than the last!

"Junichi Sijima, that old fox, really acts fast," Charles thought, leaning back in his chair, pleased that the recent trip with Sijima to the club paid off.

With the yen appreciating, it wasn't easy to get loans from Japanese banks, especially with Universal Studios Osaka's previous poor performance.

Nomura Holdings' 50 billion yen financing saved Charles quite a bit of time.

...

"Boss, I'm in the UK right now. Molly Bloom has some info on the News of the World, under News Corporation. Should we reveal it to the media directly?" Phyllis Jones was calling Charles from Capet Japan Tower.

"Is there sufficient evidence?" Charles inquired, knowing that flimsy accusations wouldn't mean much.

"Uh, not that strong evidence, but it could tarnish their reputation!"

"Not enough," Charles thought. Mere reputation damage wouldn't faze News Corporation. "Keep an eye on Rupert Murdoch's wife. There might be unexpected gains. Britain is holding a Prime Minister election, and News Corporation's support matters. Find out who is opposing their candidate and pass the evidence to them."

If Charles remembered correctly, Wendi Deng and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair had some history...

"Got it," Phyllis Jones, in London at that moment, admired her boss's shrewdness. Candidates clearly had a lot of political resources.

Taking down News Corporation was indirectly attacking their supported candidate.

"Keep an eye on Wendi Deng, and if it involves former Prime Minister Tony Blair, there might be a big story," Phyllis thought, eager to discuss with Molly Bloom.

...

Charles Capet went back to his room, took a shower, and then checked his emails. It was already late February, and he wanted to see if there was anything important.

Universal's The Wolfman was released, but it only made $31.5 million on its opening weekend in North America. After half a month, the North American box office was just $57 million, with both reception and ticket sales plummeting.

It's predicted that The Wolfman would only make around $60 million in North America. For a big-budget film costing hundreds of millions to produce, it was a flop big time.

Edge of Darkness, released by Focus Features and produced by Icon Productions, had been in theaters for over a month, but its North American box office was just $15 million. Mel Gibson's situation was indeed grim.

It seemed Jewish investors were coming down hard on Mel Gibson, discrediting him relentlessly, making it impossible for him to promote the film. Focus Features didn't invest much in promoting it either, mainly giving Robert Downey Jr. a nod due to his long-term contract with Marvel Studios.

The MGM bidding process had been extended. MGM's creditors were not satisfied with the current bids and were waiting for better offers.

Moving to the window, Charles admired the snowy landscape of Hokkaido, considering the impending Universal releases like Green Zone and Robin Hood, which were also expected flops.

There weren't even backers willing to take over. Reshooting or extra filming would only cost more money.

"Hey, Oppa," Son Ye-jin walked in, having showered and made a call to East Asia Korea staff to negotiate for the Korean remake rights of The Devotion of Suspect X.

Her long hair draped over her shoulders, dressed in a kimono, Charles put his arm around her waist and asked with a smile, "All done?"

Son Ye-jin nodded, "Korea's entertainment industry has recovered well. If possible, I'll continue signing artists."

"East Asia Korea shouldn't lack funds now, right? Why can't they sign artists?" Charles wondered.

Even now, East Asia Korea had the capacity to move into the film industry, and they had a partnership with CJ Entertainment.

"Oh, I'm considering an elite approach, not seeking quantity," Son Ye-jin explained, "Since we can invest and develop works ourselves, both films and TV should focus on quality, the same for the artists!"

Before the success of the T-ara group, East Asia Korea only had Davichi to represent them, but after T-ara's debut success, Son Ye-jin considered having them appear in TV and film projects.

"Alright, it's up to you," Charles said, hugging her from behind, sliding his hand into her kimono to feel her softness, whispering in her ear, "I know you like investing in real estate, so I prepared $2 million for you to buy a villa in the Gangnam district of Seoul!"

The exchange rate of USD to KRW had dropped a bit to around 1:1300, making $2 million about 2.6 billion KRW.

"Oppa, the T-ara group won't be in Japan for too long, you need to seize the time," Son Ye-jin said, turning her head to kiss Charles, her kimono falling off...

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.