In the blink of an eye, it was January 14th.

The strategic business department of the Dahua Industrial Group has been stationed in the guest house of the Planning Commission for more than half a month, and like the cadres of the State Reserve Bureau, they are nested in a small room, and the world of the day is only screens and materials, and there are few concepts for the New Year, and many people have never even left the guest house.

People in both units live in a ** villa. The villa is hidden under a plane tree that has lost its leaves. A gazebo and two rows of small buildings are dotted among the trees.

**The villa is an old building for some years, the exterior wall is gray, and there are blue and white stone steps in front of the door, which looks quite high-grade, but it is very old, especially the wooden windows and the stone carvings in front of the door, I don't know how many times it has been tested, like a veteran who has been in battle for a long time, lazy but still playing residual heat.

The interior of the villa is decorated in imitation of foreign hotels, and the heating is hot.

Sioux City stepped barefoot on the carpet, his eyes fixed on the three screens in front of him. They are the prices of oil futures in New York, London and Japan.

Zhu Enbo stood behind Sioux City with a puzzled expression. Also lined up are Director Huang of the State Reserve Material Adjustment Center, and Director Mao of the National Development and Reform Commission.

Behind them are researchers from the Policy Research Center of the State Council. Among them, Professor Dai, who specializes in the Middle East, is a senior adviser who enjoys the rank of director and department, and he is usually busy with his feet except to provide information to state leaders. I also came to the scene today.

Because January 14 is an important day. In other words, January 15 has an extraordinary significance.

In the final resolution of the United Nations, the deadline for the final withdrawal of Iraqi troops was set at 15 January 1991. If within the deadline. If Iraq does not withdraw its troops, the multinational force will have a legal basis to use "all necessary means", in other words, there is a great possibility that the Gulf crisis will turn into a Gulf war.

The premise of the final formation of the 38-nation coalition was precisely because of this UN resolution. With it, not only is it just for many ** teams to attack Iraq, but. If Iraq does not withdraw its troops, the multinational force must fight it.

Whether it's for fairness and justice, for oil or for the Kuwaiti royal family. Since January 14. The countdown to the beginning of the war.

In normal thinking, oil prices should start to rise on this day.

When I got up at noon, I could clearly see that the staff of the National Reserve Center had relaxed expressions. Recent times. Dahua Industrial's strategic business unit can put a lot of pressure on them. Oil prices fell to $30 at one point, but rebounded to $31, keeping their paper losses under $2 per barrel. A 3 million barrel crude oil contract means a book loss of less than $6 million.

Director Huang of the National Reserve Center lost his temper because of this, and Director Mao was angry several times.

Finally, it's going to get through.

"It's 10:02. Zhu Enbo sighed softly, and someone else spoke.

The London oil exchange officially opened at 10:03 London time. This is equivalent to 18:02 Beijing time. However, everyone's schedule changes with the London market, and many people look at their watches. I'm used to looking at London watches.

The three screens on the high desk were all replaced with data from the London oil futures market. The main trading location for Middle Eastern oil is London, and when the geopolitics of the Middle East changes, London tends to have a difference in price with the oil trading markets in New York and Tokyo.

For the people in this small building, the London oil futures market is the focus of their attention. Prices in New York and Tokyo are indicative only. It doesn't make any real sense.

At less than 10:03 a.m., the curve on the right screen began to move, like an electrocardiogram, forming a small valley peak, and then trembling forward.

"Good. Zhu Enbo held his hand tightly and felt that it was a good start.

Director Mao asked, "Is it rising?"

"A minute. Oil prices are up more than 60 cents from yesterday's close, so there's a good chance for it. Director Huang explained to Director Mao.

If you want to say that there is a lot of pressure, Director Huang is also under a lot of pressure. How can Zhu Enbo's level control hundreds of millions of dollars in funds, all of them must be signed and agreed by Director Huang. Therefore, the book loss of four or five million US dollars must be counted on the head of Director Huang.

If this results in an actual loss, it can be a big problem.

Director Mao was not easy, he heard that it had risen, so he nodded vigorously and said, "Great, does it mean that you are going to fight?"

"The United States had to fight. Professor Dai said in an expert tone: "Bush has been preparing since August, and now everything is ready, and it is a matter of which time is right to fight and how to fight." ”

"If the Soviets don't intervene in the next few days, it's settled. I think that's the only thing stopping oil prices from rising at the moment. Another researcher also commented.

Director Mao happily looked up at the two data screens next to him, and Director Huang was introducing him. So far, things seem to be improving.

Zhu Enbo endured it for 10 minutes, and after the price of oil rose by $1, he finally felt a little angry, turned his head to Su Cheng and smiled, and said, "Su Dong, since there is going to be a war, do you want to adjust your thinking?"

"Wait a minute. Su Cheng's smile was warm, and he didn't look affected in the slightest.

He has bought $200 million in crude oil, twice as much as the National Reserve, and has incurred twice as much paper loss. However, the negative decline in the first two days allowed him to make a paper profit of $1.6 and is still in a surplus.

Zhu Enbo also thought of this immediately, secretly scolded himself for being in a hurry, bowed his head and said nothing, looking as if he was thinking, but the smile on the corner of his mouth couldn't be contained.

In his view, crude oil is about to enter an upward channel, and there is no doubt about this! It is a little early to be proud, but it is only a matter of time before it is complacent.

Except for the employees of Dahua Industrial, most of the people in the room were laughing. Even researchers at the Policy Research Center of the State Council regard the State Reserve Bureau as their own and Dahua as an outsider.

A researcher with a comb in the middle remembered Sioux City's non-adherence to tradition, and at this time he couldn't help but say, "The point of analyzing the problem is to grasp the backbone." For example, Saudi Arabia's oil production has increased, and the UAE's transportation has not been affected, these are all details. If there is a war in the Middle East or a war in the Persian Gulf, oil prices will rise. Right, Su Dong. ”

The researchers of the Policy Research Center of the State Council have always been above the top, and in ancient officialdom, they are equivalent to Hanlin. A noble position, a promising future, and the ability to gain access to important opportunities through charisma and intelligence, and to influence the country's policy by influencing the country's leaders. Some important think tanks often play a role more than the head of an ordinary ministry.

Su Cheng's status as the chairman of Dahua Industrial Group is not worth mentioning in front of these researchers. Actually, the gentlemen of the National Reserve Bureau are not afraid of Sioux City. Zhu Enbo and Director Mao also restrained because of the association of the three Sus in the same room. Otherwise, they might have celebrated by now.

Su Cheng didn't expect this researcher to ask so directly, so he thought for a moment and said, "There is a war in the Middle East, and oil prices are going to rise, this may be correct." However, the key issue is when the price of oil rises, whether it continues to run at a high level, or whether it rises in waves, or whether it rises in just a few days and rises in a few hours. ”

Hall Director Huang burst out laughing.

Seeing that everyone had seen it, Director Huang was a little embarrassed and said softly: "I think a few hours is too short, but this shows that Su Dong is a person with a sense of humor." ”

Professor Dai said in a professional tone: "The four Middle East wars are not long, but the Iran-Iraq war is very long. However, the oil crisis is mainly due to Middle Eastern countries. I think in the long run, rising prices are a trend. In the medium term, it is estimated that there will be several months of highs, at least. ”

Su Cheng was silent, facts speak louder than words, and this word can also be used on himself. Oil prices are rising, and it is neither necessary nor anachronistic to emphasize the downward trend of oil prices. So I just looked at the screen.

Zhu Enbo took the opportunity to say: "Director Huang, Director Mao, the current form is very good, we want to apply for some more funds." ”

A few days ago, he couldn't approve the money when he was exhausted, but now the situation has changed.

Director Huang thought about it for a while, and really made a decision: "I will approve another 50 million for you, but I have to wait for a while, until 10 o'clock." If the situation is stable, it will be granted to you. ”

This kind of trader system and thinking about buying and selling futures is absolutely Chinese characteristics, but it has been running like this, and it has been running for many years.

Su Cheng thought to himself: You guys really don't lose money and feel uncomfortable.

Minutes and seconds passed.

At 8 o'clock in the evening, Director Mao couldn't help it at first, said goodbye and returned to the unit, and reported his work to the leader.

Then at 10 p.m., Zhu finally got the coveted $50 million authorization, quite a big fight.

Quite a few people began to speak to Sioux City in a sympathetic tone.

At 11 p.m., the price of oil rose by $2.

At this point, except for Sioux City, there are few people who have a strong downward mentality.

Before the early hours of the morning, Director Mao returned to the villa with a spring face. With him were several young men about the same age as Sioux City. They watched curiously everything in the villa.

Director Mao happily threw down the briefcase, smiled at everyone, and said, "I brought a few people over, they are mainly observing, it doesn't matter." ”

"No impact, no impact. Director Huang shook his head again and again and took the initiative to receive him. You don't need to look at it to know that Director Mao's guests are extraordinary.

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