Chapter 8: Staying Away

The next day, William White's team started intervening in the silver market. Undoubtedly, they were all going long. Recently, silver had been quite popular. This trend wouldn't fade anytime soon. Fulton was curious -- why was William focusing on silver when gold was the hotter commodity? "Silver futures are tricky to trade; this is Hunter family's territory." Wait a minute, the Hunter family? William couldn't be unaware of that! "Sir, the silver market is controlled by the Hunter family. Will it be alright for you to intervene like this?" "Heh, no worries. They'll definitely push the prices higher. I got news that the Mexican government struck a deal with them; they're going to buy a large batch of spot silver. So, they can only go long. We're dealing with small money here, just picking up a bargain." The Hunter family's investment in silver was no secret. A single entity couldn't control this market alone -- they needed many pawns. You had to admit, America was truly the chosen land. They were never short of resources, and the reserves of various metal mines were astounding. It's puzzling, though -- why didn't they extract these resources despite sitting on vast reserves? William, having been reborn, clearly understood. Printing dollars was far cheaper, so extracting resources wasn't necessary. This was the hegemony of the international settlement currency -- nobody could do anything to them. ... "Boss, there's a lot of buying activity in London. Although the amounts aren't large, the intent is firm." "There's been no good news lately. Why is this happening?" "Probably just hot money, looking to make a quick profit and leave." "Let's hope so. Keep an eye out and see who it is." "Okay, boss." The Hunter family was very cautious. These scattered funds caught their attention. Investigating was ridiculous -- London wasn't their territory. American funds were smaller and more scattered, making it a fool's errand to investigate. Another big issue was these were all offshore companies. The investors were mostly labeled as mining companies. Talking to the futures brokers was useless. This was William White's careful design, making it impossible for them to crack easily. Understanding the full picture would take months, not days. The Hunter family would feel utterly frustrated when they found out. ... Southwest Review Press was also frustrated. They initially thought this book was a wealthy man's indulgence. But it turned out to be excellent quality. If it weren't a debut work, it would definitely be a bestseller. Their dilemma was that the royalties were outrageous. Even bestselling authors didn't get 20% royalties! Well, maybe a few did, but only a few in the entire world. The key issue was, they had no leverage. The author covered all the initial costs himself. If the novel flopped, they'd have to move back thousands of unsold copies themselves. The publishing house had no responsibility. The real issue now was that the book was just too good. The editor did agree to these terms, but it was outrageous. His thinking was also flawed. Contracts differed for various clients. Books from rich people for their amusement usually had such terms. Back out? That's ridiculous -- the author didn't even show up, sending a lawyer to sign the contract instead. The signing lawyer wasn't some rookie either. If they tried to back out, they'd be sued to bankruptcy. In truth, these guys were just greedy. What did 20% royalties matter? With strong sales, they'd still make a lot of money, and with no risk. Even if the book didn't sell, they'd still profit. So, the petty complaints were just hypocritical. ... April weather in Manhattan was pleasant, even though still a bit cold. Texans were tough. They didn't mind harsh weather, thanks to their environment. Half of America's natural disasters hit Texas, either hurricanes or floods. Despite so many disasters, Texans lived with spunk. Their innate rebelliousness couldn't be learned by others. Texans were extreme by nature. They didn't understand patience. If unnecessary, better not to provoke them. Look at the Bush father and son duo. They launched wars at the drop of a hat. Saddam experienced the tragedy, getting whacked by both father and son, finally ending up hung. "Sir, we've built half of the positions. What's next?" "Continue building up. Below $5.80, it's fine. Maintain a 30% position, buy low and sell high. Breaking the $6 mark won't be easy for now." "Okay, sir. I'll notify them immediately." William realized he couldn't stay calm in the trading center. It was best to stay away from that place. Players with external help often got influenced by external factors. Others shouldn't try such games, or they'd quickly get lost and become slaves to money. Those with legacy knowledge wouldn't -- it was passed down to them. William thought Jewish families taught their children not how to make money first, but how to resist its temptations. William had no one to teach him that, so he kept his distance to not cloud his judgment. He was sure his capital was insufficient. Such a level of funds would alert others, but not overly concern them. But there was some discrepancy in his judgment. His entry was immediately noticed by the other side. The good news was, the dispersed funding sources misled them. They thought the funds were from some desert tycoon's little treasure chest. The reasoning was simple -- although they cooperated, no one put all eggs in one basket. Making some money with insider advantage was normal, nothing to complain about. This misjudgment let William White dodge a bullet. With his current low capital, he couldn't withstand a shakeout. The cooperation between the Hunter family and desert tycoons was basically mutual distrust. Neither saw the other as trustworthy. That's why the Hunter family couldn't ask. Even if they did, the answer might not be believed, making it pointless. ... "Sir, your new book will be on shelves in a week." "Good, buy me a copy. Hopefully, there won't be any mistakes." "There shouldn't be. We double-checked it." "Great, I hope it sells well." Unaware of his close shave, William White was quite pleased. His team did well, buying low and selling high, controlling costs around $5.65 per ounce. At this level, victory was nearly certain. For a forced liquidation, prices would have to drop to around $5 per ounce. The Hunter family had the power to achieve that but wouldn't dare. With 70% of America's silver stock in their hands, a drop over 10% would cost them billions. If it was all their money, it wouldn't matter -- they could push the prices back up. Unfortunately, most of the investment wasn't theirs. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.