The London oil futures market will be trading until 4 a.m., and everyone will have to stay up until the early hours of the morning and then rest. When it's time to go to bed, it's often morning.

The 4 people brought by Director Mao seemed to be 60xs, and they were still in high spirits at the beginning, but at about two o'clock in the morning, they all fell asleep on the sofa, staggering as if they were drunk.

Director Mao didn't make an introduction, and no one ran up to meet them in a daze. It's still each doing its own thing. In fact, just by looking at the large necklaces around their necks, fashionable half-length hair, and structured clothes, they know that they have special status.

In the early 90s, China was just beginning to pay attention to fashion. Small and medium-sized cities and state-owned enterprise compounds may still be as simple as they were in the mid-80s, but in Beijing, in government guest houses, Pierre Cardin, Louis Vuitton and Amway Avon are no longer a novelty.

Most of the people who can afford to wear them are big businessmen, but they are often the second generation of businessmen or the second generation of officials who really wear them. The men and women who get up early and earn their first pot of gold are still reluctant to spend extravagantly.

Since Director Mao led the door, the identities of these four young people were about to come out.

At noon on January 15, the awakened people gathered again in front of three screens.

The minutes ticked by 18:03. Oil prices are starting to rise again.

Three minutes later, Zhu Enbo made a decision: "Buy another 500,000 barrels." ”

The traders at the National Reserve Bureau got busy as if they had been beaten with chicken blood. They call an agent in the City of London and place an order through the futures market. The procedure was not easy, but everyone moved quickly.

After they got busy, they couldn't even take care of the traders in Sioux City and Dahua Industrial.

He was also an assistant researcher at the Center for Policy Research who explained to Director Mao and the young people around him: "The current oil price is 32.2 US dollars, which has returned to the price when the National Reserve Bureau entered the market. That is, the next one to rise. It's all about profit. ”

"How many can there be. The tall young man's eyes were still a little foggy. It's not always so comfortable to sleep on the couch.

"$32.2 for oil. As long as it rises by 40 cents, there is a profit of more than 1%, if you add 10x leverage. That's 10% profit. The assistant researcher was like a treasure, and there was a smile on his face.

"A 40-cent rise is from $32.2 to $32.6, right?"

"Yes. ”

"Is that the number?" the young man walked to the screen on the left, pointed to it, and asked, "It's 32.4 now." That's 32.8?"

The assistant researcher smiled, "No. 32.4 is because it has just risen by 20 cents. ”

"Just 20 cents, that's 5 percent, how long did it take?"

"A quarter of an hour. Another one in a red shirt stood in front and looked at his watch.

The tall man touched his head and asked, "How much is 5 percent?" I mean, how much does the National Reserve Bureau make?"

"Millions. Director Zhu just bought 500,000 barrels, I don't know if the transaction is successful, if it is successful, it will be 100,000 US dollars. ”

"It's 200,000 now. The red shirt stared at the screen.

The assistant researcher naturally said, "Oh, it's going up so fast, it's 32.6." Right. The 500,000 barrels of oil I bought just now earned $200,000. ”

He watched with a chill and said it with ease, and the traders at the National Reserve were already celebrating. $200,000. It's already more than all of their salaries combined. It's a good thing when it comes to benefits.

For that matter. It is not surprising that the National Reserve will fail miserably in the futures market in the future. If they really have the ability to do miracles, why should they be paid in the National Reserve? Of course, the state does not require the State Reserve Adjustment Center to make money in the futures market, but there are always some people who want to use the state's capital to make their cake bigger, and there will be all kinds of losses.

The four young men unconsciously walked to the front of the screen, and the tall man muttered to himself, "So, if we buy 500,000 barrels of oil, we can make $200,000?"

The assistant researcher smiled and said: "The price of $32.6 per barrel, 500,000 barrels costs $16.3 million, and at least 1.6 million must be prepared, and 3 million is safer." ”

"You're pretty fast. The red shirt said in a praising tone. Students who have passed through the sports years have a similar level of mathematics to American students, and those who can do mental arithmetic and oral arithmetic and multiplication are proud skills.

The four young men discussed in a low voice.

At this moment, a voice from Sioux City came from the side: "1 million barrels, buy short." ”

"Buying short is buying down, right?" the tall young man grabbed the research assistant, who had done some homework before coming.

The assistant researcher whispered "yes" and then explained, "Buying short is to make money when it falls, and lose money when it rises." Dahua bought 1 million barrels of crude oil, and if it rose by $0.2, he would lose $100,000. ”

The tall man stammered, "This thing will still lose money." ”

Director Mao couldn't help coughing twice and said, "The risk of the futures market is very large, and you can easily lose millions, just take a look." ”

The four of them smiled and said yes. The red shirt walked up to Sioux City again and asked strangely, "The price of oil is obviously rising, how can you buy it?"

"It's almost time. Su Cheng smiled.

"What is almost?"

"The price has risen to this point, which is the limit. "It's impossible for Sioux City to remember the exact figure for oil prices, but I have the impression that the pre-war oil price was around $32. At this time, it has reached 32.6 or even 32.7 US dollars, which is indeed the limit.

He doesn't worry about telling others, because they have to believe you to buy up and down with you, just like betting on a casino, there will be some followers behind the winners. But no one will follow a stranger.

15 January 1991, deadline for United Nations resolutions on Iraq. At this time, there are 8 million people in the world who talk about the rise and fall of oil prices, if not 10 million, and I believe that who is a more difficult topic than oil prices themselves.

The red shirt just asked curiously: "How do you know that the price of oil will not rise again." ”

"Guess. ”

"Just guessing?"

"And analytics. Sioux City spread his hands.

The red shirt frowned, "You know that if you continue to raise prices, you will lose money." ”

Su Cheng smiled and said, "If the price drops, I will make money." ”

"If I were you, I'd wait until it really falls before I buy it. ”

"One million barrels of crude oil is not something that can be bought in a moment. With that, Sioux City turned around and listened to the traders' feedback.

The red shirt shouted in the back: "Will the price of oil fall?"

Sioux City nodded, not explaining. In fact, not to mention them, even in the strategic division of Dahua Group, there are more bullish than bearish on oil prices. Even with the coercion of the chairman, Su Cheng can't completely convince them, and as for convincing the National Reserve, it's even more impossible now, maybe let them suffer a little loss in order to have the patience to listen to the reason.

In fact, if it weren't for the foreknowledge of future generations, Sioux City would not believe that a major war in the Middle East would not have had a real impact on the price of oil.

The Soviet Union really allowed the United States to flex its muscles? The multinational forces of 38 countries did not even make a mess of themselves? The Iraqi army, which is "fourth in the world," was beaten and had no power to fight back! The Iraqi ground forces, which possessed Soviet tanks, were unable to accomplish any strategic task! The famous Scud tank could not even handle the Saudi oil fields! The Persian Gulf was at war, and the countries of the Middle East just a stone's throw away not only maintained their pre-war oil production, but also made up for the lack of Iraq and Kuwait? The oil companies of the Western world really obeyed the orders of the White House and did not raise prices?

If you want to give a summary sentence for 1991, "Is the world swollen?" would be a great commentary.

If there is one reason to explain this incredible ending, it can only be said: the Cold War is over, and the United States has won.

For the Chinese, however, this reason is even more implausible than the ending.

Sioux City had absolutely no interest in discussing the state of the world, and the researchers in the Policy Research Office behind him had discussed enough.

However, although he did not participate in the discussion, his actions, his determined short-buying behavior, have long proven his inclination.

The assistant researcher couldn't hold back and persuaded: "Don't listen to him, today is the deadline for Iraq's withdrawal, there is no movement at all, we analyze that there will be a war within a week, and when the time comes, I don't know what the price of oil will become." ”

"You mean the State Council Policy Research Center analyzed it?" asked the red shirt carefully.

"Yes. ”

"Well, what do you say. The red shirt turned to the other three.

They lay together and discussed for a while, and finally made a decision: it is better for the state agency to be safer.

So, as a representative, the red shirt approached Director Huang and asked the National Reserve Bureau if it could help them buy some oil futures?

Director Huang agreed, and promised: "I will build a separate warehouse for you, let you buy it first when you want to buy it, and let you sell it first when you want to sell it......

Su Cheng couldn't help but turn his head, according to what Director Huang said, isn't this a rat barn.

This kind of issue is discussed in public.

However, the four people including the red shirt, as well as Director Huang and Director Mao, all looked like they were taken for granted.

Sioux City came to his senses. The domestic fund market has not yet been developed, and the rat warehouse or something is a strange thing to the public.

Even for the National Reserve, it's nothing.

Sioux City's lips moved, but he didn't speak. In the face of the world's largest commodity trading market, any state organ is cannon fodder.

Once oil prices start to fall, the rat bin will not be able to keep them.

If so, let them go.

Su Cheng shook his hand and said in a casual tone: "Buy another 1 million barrels of oil." ”