Chapter 155: Britney and Rubel

On Saturday, Russia launched a full-scale invasion into Ukraine, targeting the eastern region of Donetsk and advancing from Belarus towards Kyiv.

Russian forces crossed into Ukrainian territory, sparking international outrage.

European countries and the US moved quickly to condemn Russia's actions and put a lot of sanctions in place. Russian banks were hit by economic measures that frozen their assets and cut them off from the world's financial systems.

If everything went just like it did back in 2022, then the EU would soon begin drafting plans to limit dependence on Russian gas, while NATO would mobilize its forces in neighboring countries as a show of strength.

Because the war began on a weekend and FOREX markets are closed during weekends, everyone had time to prepare for the opening, and as soon as the market opened on Monday, a massive jump on the currency exchange happened, driving the ruble down 30%.

[FOREX]

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[Total Balance: $809,396,914.44]

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[PROFIT/LOSS DETAILS]

Opening Exchange Rate: 28.52 RUB

Current Exchange Rate: 37.21 RUB

Exposure: $2,000,000,000

Profit/Loss: +$609,396,914.44

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My profits were already massive and this was just the beginning.

Together with the stocks that I was currently selling, I owned private assets of more than $1.4 billion.

However, I wasn't planning to take all profits from this situation between Russia and Ukraine myself.

I was going to let immortal investments play the opposing side.

...

There was a heavy downpour as I landed in Boston on Monday.

Drops spattered against the window of the black limousine, turning the city into a blur of grey and blue.

As we neared downtown, I asked the driver to pull over at a convenience store. There, I purchased a black umbrella.

It didn't take long before I was standing in front of Immortal Investments, droplets falling off the edges of the umbrella, the rain masking the tall building in a silvery haze.

After shaking off the water in the lobby, I made my way up to the offices.

The meeting with Derec and the team leaders was about to take place.

The room had a minimalist aesthetic. There was a long table in the center, and on the far side, I could see Derec chatting with Clara and Ilia.

On the opposite side was Mike, along with a few of the experienced traders.

"Good to see you all," I said as I entered.

Then I saw someone that I should have expected to be here.

Britney was there, leaning over some documents.

As Derec and the team leaders started greeting me, "Mr. Somnus..." "Jack," their voices overlapped, each offering a handshake or a nod.

Then, finally, Britney looked up from the documents she had been focused on. She didn't greet me immediately, her eyes catching mine for just a moment.

Her blonde hair was pulled gracefully into a bun, and she wore gentle business makeup.

Only after a while did she give me a brief nod, almost reluctant.

She had always been a tough read, and today was no different.

The small talk was brief as we quickly transitioned into business. S~eaʀᴄh the NovelFire.net* website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Derec started with a summary. "Currently, we hold $430 million in Insteel Industries and another $40 million in various stocks traded on the Hong Kong exchange. The primary position is Tencent."

He handed me and the others a neatly printed list of our holdings. "In Europe, we have $60 million spread out. The main positions are BP on the London Stock Exchange and Siemens on Frankfurt. We're also planning to expand to the Swiss stock exchange."

I scanned the list.

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What needed to be discussed was the allocation of funds.

Just then, Britney cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "I think we should start diversifying more actively," she said, sliding a folder toward Derec. "I've prepared some analysis on potential new markets. Given the current volatility, I believe it could be beneficial."

Derec opened the folder Britney had handed him, he nodded a few times, seemingly impressed. But then, instead of making a comment himself, he slid the folder over to me.

"What do you think, Jack?"

This was our first meeting with everyone present, and by all standards, Derec should have been the one making the decisions here.

But the way he addressed me, the way he asked for my input, was making it look like I'm more important here than him.

He wasn't even attempting to hide it.

I flipped through the pages, taking in Britney's detailed analysis. It was thorough—very thorough, in fact. Market trends, risk assessments, projections—it was all there.

I glanced at Britney.

Britney's eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze fixed on me.

Her face showed surprise. It was like she found the whole situation strange—me, getting this much control in a room full of people who should've been much more senior in this company.

Her eyes flicked to Derec for a moment, as if trying to reconcile what was happening.

"This is well done," I said, nodding as I closed the folder. "Diversification is definitely something we should consider, especially with the current volatility."

For the first time, I noticed Britney's lips curling slightly into a smile.

I paused. "But there's also something else to think about. There's a war happening right now between Russia and Ukraine. I think we should take advantage of that."

They all understood what I meant. Wars, as grim as they were, created opportunities.

Clara was the first to speak up. "We could look at defense contractors in the U.S."

Ilia joined in, "And energy stocks, especially in Europe. There's always an impact on energy supplies when conflicts escalate."

"What about commodities?" Mike added. "Metals? We already are very heavily in steel, I think we should keep that position."

Everyone was brainstorming, throwing in ideas.

I turned to Derec. "We should open a FOREX account."

Derec looked intrigued. "Forex, huh? I've noticed the ruble dropping like a rock, but don't you think a lot of it is priced in already? It's risky. There's a chance it might not fall much further—and it could even reverse."

"That's exactly what I think we should bet on." I said. "I don't just think it'll reverse—I think the ruble will end up stronger than it was before the war."

"Stronger?" Clara asked. "You're saying the ruble is going to recover... why would it happen? Everyone is throwing economical sanctions at the left and right."

"Yes. The sanctions are going to hurt, but you must remember that Russia is still one of the main suppliers of energy to European countries. Do you think that they will stop buying energy from them in a span of a few days? It's not feasible."

Derec raised an eyebrow. "But they've been buying energy from Russia even before the war started. Isn't that already priced in? Nothing changes."

"Nothing changes until Russia decides to use its reserves and demands that other countries pay for their energy in rubles. They'll be forced to purchase more of Russia's currency, driving the ruble price back up. It's going to create a temporary boom, especially with the sheer volume of bets against it. Those shorts will just add fuel to the fire."

Derec paused for a moment, considering my words. "That... could work. But we need to analyze it further," he said, nodding. He looked at the team leaders. "Get some research going on this."

"Sure. But I think we should make a play on this first. Then we can think about diversifying."

The rest of the meeting moved smoothly. We connected with our team leaders in Lyon, France, and Hong Kong via video call using Skype.

Raegan Lee was working with the Hong Kong branch now.

...

After the meeting, I went to Derec's office and got right to the talk. "We need to start selling off Steele Industries to get funds quickly, Derec; no delays, otherwise we will lose out on massive gains."

Derec looked at me, clearly waiting for me to elaborate.

"We will wait until the ruble has a good day. I will call you when that happens." I said. "That's when we start moving in on high leverage—just not all at once. Ease in, so we don't get struck out of the position."

He gave me a knowing smile. "You're really serious about this ruble play.... But I'm not sure what leverage JPMorgan can offer us on forex..."

"If they offer you peanuts, go talk to them personally. I mean, come on. The growth we had warrants some respect. Charles Shwab allows me for 10 times leverage; you should get at least that much if not more out of them."

...

As I was about to leave the building, I made my rounds in the office, saying goodbye to the team.

I approached Britney last. "Till next time," I said, offering her a handshake.

She took my hand, but instead of letting go, she hesitated. "Wait Jack..." she looked up at me, "can we talk?" she said, her voice lower, almost confidential.