In late November on Hong Kong Island, long queues had already formed outside the stock exchange at the crack of dawn.
The crowd was full of anxious faces. People who knew each other would offer each other cigarettes and then start whispering among themselves.
There's no way around it, the "debunking" news that ATV released yesterday was just too damn shocking.
This caused many shareholders who still had confidence and illusions about Kobayashi Tenmoku and Hongkong Land Group to be unable to sleep at all last night, and to line up early this morning, wanting to sell their Hongkong Land Group shares as soon as possible.
However, the stock exchange is not open yet, so everyone can only wait outside, feeling extremely anxious and heartbroken from the losses!
"Ahua, do you think Hongkong Land's share price can hold up today?"
"It's tough. The market already dropped a lot yesterday, and I heard that a lot of big money had already been secretly running away. With the denial last night, it's even worse!"
"I still have two thousand shares. If the price drops further, my whole family will starve!"
...
As soon as the opening bell rings, the numbers on the electronic screen begin to jump instantly.
Many investors crowded into the trading seats, shouting frantically to urge their brokers to sell Hongkong Land shares immediately.
Hongkong Land's share price, which closed at less than HK$60 the previous day, immediately gapped down and plummeted to HK$50.
Inside the stock exchange, the investors immediately erupted in uproar.
"Damn! It's dropped by ten dollars!"
"It's all over, it's all going to collapse!"
"If only I had sold it yesterday, I would have lost everything!"
The shouts and curses were deafening. Some people were slamming their fists on the table, some were glaring at the electronic screen, and others were squatting on the ground covering their faces, looking like they were about to cry.
However, the stock price did not stop falling because of their anger and frustration. It hovered around HK$50, as if being pulled down by an invisible hand, and continued to fall in a volatile manner.
When the number HK$45 froze on the screen, the curses in the exchange turned into wails.
Forty-five! My God!
"Cut it off, cut it off, otherwise it'll really be worthless!"
"I'm not willing to accept this, but there's nothing I can do. I can't let my wife and children go hungry."
Many people gritted their teeth and rushed to the trading window to sell their Hongkong Land shares at low prices. They had only one thought in mind: cut their losses as quickly as possible, even if they lost a lot, at least they could still keep some principal.
Old Zhang was one of those who suffered a loss; his hands were trembling as he held the transaction slip.
His heart was in turmoil. He had thought that Hongkong Land was a long-established British company, and even after being acquired by Kobayashi Tenmoku, it was still a giant, and he could make a fortune once it rebounded. He never expected it to fall so drastically.
Selling now means losing six months' worth of hard-earned money, but if I don't, and the market continues to fall or I even go bankrupt, I'll truly have nothing left. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to accept it.
Stock investors like Lao Zhang are destined to have a hard time making money in the stock market.
This is actually a true reflection of most stock market investors: taking their hard-earned money and blindly rushing into this financial game.
They spend their days listening to so-called insider information in the marketplace, spending money to consult industry insiders, and watching those so-called experts on TV praising and selecting stocks, often ending up buying a lot of junk stocks.
Even if you do manage to buy good, valuable stocks, you still can't hold onto them.
Making money by buying stocks, knowing when to take profits and when to cut losses, is a rather counterintuitive skill.
Those who cannot stop profiting will also be unable to stop losing.
Those who can't hold onto good stocks and rush to sell at the first sign of a slight increase will miss out on the upward momentum.
Those who see a drop and rush to cut their losses in fear will also never see the day when the market rebounds.
Buying and selling back and forth, it seems like you've made money quite often, but if you calculate it carefully, you can't even earn the transaction fees. If you make a slight mistake and buy a junk stock that plummets, a year's work will be for nothing.
While the stock market was in chaos, the television in the lobby was suddenly turned on, and an Asia TV signal came through.
Kobayashi Tenno appeared on the screen, dressed in a sharp suit, his expression calm and composed.
"Dear Hong Kong Island shareholders, hello. I am Kobayashi Tenmoku, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hongkong Land Group. I know you are all very anxious about the share price of Hongkong Land Group right now, but I want to tell you that you must have confidence. Have confidence in Hongkong Land Group, and have confidence in me, Kobayashi Tenmoku."
Upon hearing this, the entire exchange fell silent. Everyone stared at the television. Some scoffed at Kobayashi Tenno's flowery words, while others felt a renewed sense of hope.
"I, Kobayashi Tenmoku, here today publicly pledge that from this moment on, I will demonstrate my confidence in Hongkong Land Group through my own actions and will personally support Hongkong Land Group's stock."
Currently, I and my affiliated companies hold nearly 40% of the shares in Hongkong Land Group. If other shareholders are willing, I will launch a full takeover bid to completely privatize Hongkong Land.
These words caused another stir in the exchange.
"Privatization? He wants to completely swallow Jardine Matheson? Does he have that much money?"
"Forty percent of the shares, this kid's been keeping it well hidden! I bet he was already secretly acquiring them while the market was falling these past few days!"
"The privatization price will definitely not be high, how could the shareholders possibly agree?"
On television, Lin Huowang seemed to continue, "The price for privatization will indeed not be too high, as it has already been rejected by other directors and shareholders. But this does not affect my confidence in Hongkong Land."
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