"We are the biggest beneficiary of the victory in World War II. There is no doubt about that. People like a stable life. All livelihood products will be popular in the future. We can increase investment in this area."

"As material wealth increases, people will pursue a higher quality of life, and entertainment is essential. The development of entertainment will continue to be rapid in the future, and there is still a lot of room for making money in movies, television, records, etc."

"In the future, oil will still be one of the most profitable industries. At the same time, all chemical industries derived from oil will be used in large quantities for people's livelihood, as well as the automobile industry. Currently, only 5% of households in the country have cars. This number will increase greatly in the future. At least one car per household is needed."

"The military industry will definitely be highly valued by the government, because we have achieved victory with advanced weapons, and the government hopes to always maintain its advantage, so it will not hesitate to invest in the military industry. I don't know how many companies will be supported by just one order from the Ministry of Defense."

"I think the export industry will increase significantly. World War II dealt a heavy blow to many countries, such as our allies Britain and France. They need to rebuild, and there is a huge demand for steel and building materials. This will also drive an increase in domestic steel production, and even increase steel prices. As steel production increases, mining industries will naturally develop and make more money."

"As for the Asian countries, after this war, the oppressed countries suffered a huge disaster, and they will become a huge market for development in the future. We can consider making arrangements there in advance."

Ahmad Janini looked at Hadi, trying his best to hide the shock in his eyes. Many of what Hadi had just said coincided with the analysis of the Bank of America think tank.

There are no think tanks now, but as a super enterprise, Bank of America has also established several think tanks, which are the predecessors of think tanks. They will analyze future development trends through information from various aspects such as politics, economy, society, military, diplomacy, and technology.

Giannini has always felt that these think tanks have been of great help to him and he relies heavily on them. Recently, one of the deductions made by the think tanks is the future economic and industrial development direction of the United States.

Hardy's forecasts for people's livelihood, entertainment, steel, building materials, automobiles, military industry and even exports are almost the same as those of think tanks.

The old man was shocked that these predictions were the conclusions drawn by the think tank through a large amount of data and some internal government information provided by itself. He did not believe that Hadi could get so much information because his investigation showed that Hadi did not have such a deep relationship with the government.

But his analysis was so accurate, which shows that this young man is extremely smart and has a very sharp vision, and he can see so many situations.

No matter who you are, as long as you can see the direction of the next few years, even one or two years, and then work hard along this path, I believe you will make a lot of money. No wonder Hardy has achieved such great success in just two years.

But what Hardy said was different from the think tank's analysis.

It's about the situation in Asia.

They analyzed that Asia has no development prospects in at least the next 10 years and is not worth considering investing in. Now American banks should focus on the domestic market and a small amount on Europe.

In fact, this is also the strategy of most American companies now.

Having said this, Hardy smiled and looked at Janini and said, "My previous industries were basically in these directions, ABC TV, movie companies, airlines, Playboy magazine, TV companies, cosmetics companies, etc. These are all livelihood industries. As long as we work hard in these industries, they still have a lot of room for development."

"Also, the gambling industry is a big part of the development. I believe that in the future Las Vegas will become the gambling capital of the United States and even the world. As long as we build this brand well, we can attract many tourists to come and spend money. The gambling industry will definitely be a big money-making industry in the future, and it will continue to grow."

Giannini nodded and said, "I have learned about your Hardy Hotel. To be honest, your business strategy has many unique features, especially the TV lottery and the proxy investment company, which cleverly circumvented the national restrictions on lotteries."

"I heard that the televised lottery draw now makes more money than the casino itself. Is that true?" Giannini asked.

"It's true. Now the prize is basically stable at around 60,000 US dollars per draw, and the annual revenue exceeds 30 million. If the casino is included, it should be around 40 million." Hardy said.

Giannini thought to himself, my Bank of America and dozens of cooperative enterprises only have an annual profit of more than 200 million US dollars, and your small casino can achieve an annual income of 40 million. How can such profits not make people jealous?

"Hadi, will this project be included when the new casino is built?" asked Giannini.

"Of course there is, but the use of TV station resources and the investment agency will require additional payment. The management will negotiate with ABC TV and the investment agency in due course." Hardy said.

Janini looked at Hardy and thought that this young man was really a cunning fox. You are the management, ABC TV station and the investment agency are also yours. You discussed with yourself, and in the end all the money went into your own pocket. Your calculations are really smart.

The old man looked at the time and said to Hardy, "I go for a walk in the yard every afternoon. The sun is shining brightly today. How about we go for a walk?"

"Okay," Hardy said, standing up.

The two walked out of the house and came to the large garden outside. This large garden was connected to the hills at the back, and the grass stretched as far as the eye could see.

The old man waved to the servant next to him, and soon the butler brought a box. The old man opened the box and took out two trimmed cigars, one of which he handed to Hardy.

"Want one?"

Hardy took the cigar and said with a smile, "David Duff, this cigar is famous because of Churchill."

“Yes, I like the taste.”

The two men lit up their cigars and walked slowly forward. The people around them did not catch up with them, but instead dispersed to protect them, keeping a distance of at least thirty meters from them.

"Hardy, do you know our Bank of America?" Giannini asked.

"I know a little, of course, but it's just the data you have released to the public," said Hardy.

The old man smiled and said, "Bank of America now has more than 400 branches in every city in the United States. Last year, our customers reached 5 million, and the bank's total assets reached 11.6 billion US dollars."

Total assets are not market value. The current market value of Bank of America is approximately US$2 billion.

"At the same time, Bank of America has invested in many companies, including Wells Fargo, Lockheed, Litton Industries, and Northrop Grumman. These are all military-industrial companies, and I believe they will have a good future."

Hardy thought to himself that they did have a bright future. In the future, Lockheed would become the world's largest arms dealer, Northrop Grumman would be the world's second largest arms dealer, and Litton Industries would become the fourth largest arms dealer in the United States.

"Bank of America has also invested in other banks, such as Bank of San Francisco, City Bank of Los Angeles, and Wells Fargo. We are also involved in insurance, mining, metal smelting, and agricultural and sideline products. Including all our partners, our scale has exceeded 20 billion US dollars."

In fact, the old man played a little trick here. He was talking about scale rather than assets. If it was assets, it would not reach 20 billion. According to the information Henry gave him, the total assets of the California Consortium are now just over 8 billion.

After all, some companies have impressive names, but they are not very large, with total assets of only a few million or tens of millions.

However, in this era, a company with hundreds of millions or tens of millions of dollars is already considered a very remarkable company.

After the old man said this, he seemed to want Hardy to digest it, so he took a puff of his cigar and blew it out through his nose.

"Hardy, are you interested in joining us?" the old man finally asked.

Hardy knew that he had not asked him to come out for a walk, but because he did not want others to hear their conversation. After all, their conversation might involve major investment projects, which could be affected if the news leaked out.

When he came, Hardy had already guessed that the California Consortium might try to pull him in, and he already had a plan in mind.

The California Consortium is a consortium that developed after World War II. It is not as powerful as it will be in later generations and is in its early stages of formation. If I join now, I can be considered to have obtained original shares.

All of his industries are on the West Coast, so his natural camp belongs to the California Conglomerate. Even if he does not join it, he believes that with his knowledge of the next few decades, he can still develop. However, the process will inevitably be more difficult, and in the process of development, he may even come into conflict with the California Conglomerate.

There are many advantages to joining a consortium. The biggest purpose of a consortium is to integrate resources. The California Consortium almost monopolizes most industries in California and even the West Coast. If you want to develop something in the future, you will definitely get twice the result with half the effort with the help of people from the consortium.

Of course, your business must also make profits for others.

This is a mutually beneficial thing, and it is impossible for you to get all the benefits alone.

Let me give you a simple example.

The construction of the Las Vegas casino this time requires an investment of over 100 million yuan. We need a construction company, which can be a company of a consortium partner. We need a large amount of cement, steel bars, and wood, which are all available in the consortium. We also need a decoration company, which is also available in the consortium.

Using the resources within the consortium is more cost-effective than seeking help from others. When funds are insufficient, payments can be delayed for a period of time, and banks can also be asked to dismantle the funds to tide over the difficulties.

You hired a reliable construction company, and your partner made money, so both parties were suitable. This is the so-called resource integration. Within this group, it is difficult for others to get involved in the business that you already have, which forms a monopoly in certain environments.

Of course,

It is not easy to join a consortium. You must reach a certain scale and be useful to the consortium.

And Hardy's current situation is something that the California financial group is very interested in.

abc television.

In a short period of time, the TV station with the highest ratings in the United States emerged. The California Consortium attached great importance to its publicity effect. The development of the consortium is inseparable from publicity. In the future, if it wants to influence Washington and support its own people, it is even more inseparable from publicity.

The California consortium wants to make ABC TV its own mouthpiece.

HD Security Company, people didn’t pay much attention to it in the beginning, but now it has become the largest security company in the United States, and Bank of America is now their client.

The consortium is not interested in his ability to make money, but in this power.

Las Vegas Casinos, everyone knows that Las Vegas Casinos make money, especially after Hardy's Casino opened, people are more convinced of this. If you want to enter Las Vegas, you must get Hardy's consent.

Before Hardy, Las Vegas was always under the control of the Mafia, and it is still the same now. No one can get their hands deep into Las Vegas. Now Hardy is willing to let others in. This is definitely a great opportunity to make a fortune.

The bigger the conglomerate, the more it craves money.

Capitalists are crazy about money.

Another very important point is that Hardy controls the underground forces in Los Angeles. The two most important cities in California are San Francisco and Los Angeles. Giannini is well aware of the destructive power of a king who controls the underground world.

And it's not just Los Angeles. He knows that Hardy's new casino was built in cooperation with 15 Mafia families. This means that Hardy has a close relationship with half of the Mafia. Mafia families are located in the largest cities in the United States and control the local underground forces. If California consortium partners want to do business in those places, they may be able to get their help.

When businessmen want to enter a new market, they are not afraid of business attacks from competitors because they know how to deal with them. It is often the power from gangs that prevents them from entering the local market smoothly.

My car exploded today.

The warehouse will be burned down tomorrow.

The day after tomorrow a group of people will come out and ask you for protection money. If you don’t pay them, they will be causing trouble and you will not be able to continue your business.

In the past, the California Consortium was a pure business company. When they discovered Hardy, they were immediately attracted by his qualities and decided to absorb him.

Hardy didn't answer immediately.

The old man walked slowly forward while smoking a cigar. He was not in a hurry. He was very patient and walked beside the tree, stepping on the withered grass.

......

"Mr. Giannini, I have a few things I would like you to help me with?" Hardy finally spoke.

"Oh, tell me about it."

Hardy took a breath and said, "I want you to help me acquire Wells Fargo Bank, and Bank of America will handle it. I don't have enough funds now, and I don't want to touch other industries, so I hope you can lend me the funds for the acquisition."

Bank of America holds a 12% stake in Wells Fargo and is the second largest shareholder of Wells Fargo. Now Wells Fargo is just a small regional bank, and it ranks behind San Francisco Bank and City Bank of Los Angeles. It has only more than 30 bank branches, mainly distributed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and other cities.

The current market value is approximately 200 million, and the total assets including savings, loans, mortgages, etc. are approximately 1 billion.

The old man was not surprised that Hardy wanted to acquire the bank. What surprised the old man was what Hardy said to him.

Let Bank of America step in to help with the acquisition.

He also wanted Bank of America to provide him with a loan.

Is this young man going to get a bank without spending a penny? How shameless!