Chapter 33: Unsatisfactory Gains
Lin Haoran’s second elder sister, accompanied by her lively and adorable young nephew, spent a warm and fulfilling weekend with the Lin family. It was not until the first light of Monday morning that she reluctantly bid farewell to her relatives and embarked on her journey home.
Meanwhile, Lin Haoran had risen early, filled with determination to throw himself into the challenges of the new day. He remained entirely unaware of his eldest brother’s thoughts or the generous gift he had received. Even if he had known, he would not have cared; his sights were already set far beyond such trivial matters.
Regarding his finances, Lin Haoran felt quite at ease for the time being. Consequently, he chose to set aside the three-million-dollar check from his sister without touching it. Thanks to the thirty-million-dollar loan successfully secured from Hang Seng Bank, combined with the more than ten million dollars in savings already in his stock-linked account, Lin Haoran’s current financial situation was quite comfortable; he felt no immediate pressure for funds. This solid financial foundation undoubtedly provided a sturdy backing for his subsequent stock acquisitions.
"Good morning, Mr. Lin!" It was the voice of Su Zhixue. By the time Lin Haoran stepped into the office, Su had clearly been there for some time, appearing exceptionally dedicated.
"Good morning, Zhixue. Looking at your energy, I assume you had a very pleasant and relaxing weekend," Lin Haoran replied with a smile.
"My son has recovered quite rapidly lately, and his mental state has returned entirely to how it was before he fell ill. So, I specifically arranged for us to take my wife and son to Lamma Island for a wonderful vacation this weekend," Su Zhixue said, his words overflowing with happiness and gratitude. He knew that all this peace and hope stemmed from Mr. Lin’s timely assistance. Had it not been for Mr. Lin’s generous help, he might still be mired in the distress of trying to raise the exorbitant surgical fees for his son, worrying himself sick every day. It was this kindness that had brought bright sunshine into Su Zhixue’s life after the shadows. Therefore, whenever life revealed such a warm and harmonious side, his gratitude and respect for Lin Haoran deepened.
"Alright, let’s get to work. We need to step up our efforts with Wharf. Besides us, several major financial conglomerates have already entered the fray," Lin Haoran said with a smile, checking the time on his wrist. With the Jardine Matheson and Land Group consortium and Pao Yue-kong entering the market one after another, the rise in Wharf’s stock price had begun to accelerate.
Currently, the average price of the Wharf shares in his possession was only 23.05 HKD per share. This was due to his keen insight, which had allowed him to buy in bulk when the stock price was at its lowest, effectively lowering his overall average cost. However, it was worth noting that by the close of the market last Friday, the trading price of Wharf had climbed to 25.03 HKD, showing strong upward momentum.
As major conglomerates accelerated their positioning and active acquisition, Lin Haoran realized deeply that the price of Wharf stock was bound to continue rising, which meant that the cost of acquiring the stock would inevitably increase. He had long been clearly aware of this and was fully prepared for it.
"Understood, Mr. Lin. Please rest assured, I will meet today's challenges in top form!" Su Zhixue replied, a glint of confidence in his eyes.
When the melodious bell of the nearby stock exchange rang, marking the official start of the trading day, Su Zhixue immediately immersed himself in his intense and orderly work without the slightest slack. Lin Haoran was equally diligent; he used the time to study continuously, gradually accumulating a wealth of knowledge and techniques regarding stock trading. At many critical junctures, he was able to provide powerful support and assistance to Su Zhixue’s operations with his professional capabilities. Together, they forged ahead steadily amidst the tides of the stock market.
In the process of acquiring Green Island Cement shares, everything proceeded as smoothly as usual. However, the situation with Wharf had quietly changed. Su Zhixue and Lin Haoran keenly sensed that as competitors emerged one after another, the speed at which they could acquire shares had significantly slowed, and the challenges they faced were becoming increasingly severe. Every operation required greater caution to ensure they maintained a foothold in the fierce competition.
Finally, the closing bell of the stock exchange rang, signaling the end of the day's trading. As usual, Su Zhixue began to calculate the day's gains after the market closed. Lin Haoran waited quietly, his brow furrowed; he was clearly dissatisfied with the day's trading situation. Although the detailed results had not yet been finalized, he already knew that the speed of acquisition for Wharf shares that day had been much slower than usual. He understood that Wharf’s stock price would only continue to rise, which meant his future acquisition costs would also increase. The higher the cost, the less profit he would eventually reap from the stock. This simply would not do.
Soon, Su Zhixue finished tallying the day's results. "Boss, let me report our performance for today. For Green Island Cement, we acquired a total of 488,000 shares at an average price of approximately 5.12 HKD per share, with total expenditures of about 2.5 million HKD. As for Wharf, because competition for low-priced sell orders was very intense today, we tried to acquire shares several times but failed, as others beat us to it. In the end, we only acquired 59,100 shares at an average price of 25.27 HKD per share, with total expenditures of about 1.49 million HKD. In total, we spent about 4 million HKD today."
Lin Haoran nodded; he had already prepared himself for this. He would have liked to sweep away all sell orders on the market under 30 HKD per share, but they had frequently tallied the numbers before, and there were at most 200,000 to 300,000 shares available below that price range on any given day, and sometimes as few as 100,000. If he took such an aggressive approach, the consequences would be severe, as it would directly cause the stock price to skyrocket. His goal was to hold at least over a million shares of Wharf, and he was still far from that target. Therefore, with limited market orders, he could only adopt a strategy of slow acquisition.
However, the fact that his competitors were also gradually increasing their acquisition efforts was indeed a significant problem. Fortunately, these competitors seemed unwilling to drive the stock price up too early, so their acquisition speed was relatively slow. This gave Lin Haoran the opportunity to continue his own buying. The only way forward now was to wait until he had acquired a certain amount and then, in one fell swoop, clear out all the stock within a certain price range. This process required him to hold at least around one million shares of Wharf. Currently, including today's acquisitions, Lin Haoran held only 447,000 shares, still a considerable distance from his goal of one million.