December 10, New York, Manhattan, Plaza Hotel.

Soros and Druckenmiller didn't have to wait long before they met with Indonesian Finance Minister Mari. Muhammad.

Malyi. Muhammad is the current Minister of Finance of Indonesia. In the evaluation of him by the Western media, this is a respectable technical official, with accurate and flexible fiscal policies in the past few years to ensure the rapid growth of Indonesia's economy, among the many finance ministers in Southeast Asia, the ability is very prominent, especially after the outbreak of the financial crisis The series of measures made by the market is particularly impressive.

In fact, without his series of countermeasures, Soros and his team would not have thought that there was a possibility of rising, and then bought a large number of rupiah bulls.

The main purpose of Mali's visit to the United States was to reassure Western investors, both government agencies and large institutional investors. In view of the current mixed reaction to the Indonesian currency in the market and various rumors, Suharto and his aides felt that the current government needed to clarify them one by one, so they sent a message to the foreign media, which was recognized by the image and ability of the Western media. Muhammad came to the United States to try to explain the situation to Western investors.

These days Malyi. Muhammad visited Washington, where he met with the US Treasury minister, then the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and then to New York, where a large number of institutional investors awaited his reassurance. According to the itinerary, after the end of his trip to the United States, he will go to Europe. Explain the current situation of Indonesia's domestic economy to a number of institutions, including OPEC.

Because the itinerary was so tightly arranged, Malyi. As soon as Mohammad arrived at the Plaza Hotel, he took the time to rest. However, after hearing that Soros and Druckenmiller were coming, the finance minister was sleepy-eyed and languishing one second, but the next moment he was immediately energetic and radiant, as if he had changed people, and shouted directly at the staff: "Hurry up, please these two distinguished guests!" ”

Since successfully defeating the Thai baht, Soros and his Quantum Fund name have become popular among the top levels of Southeast Asian governments. This was followed by the annual meeting of the World Bank in Hong Kong. His and Malaysian prime minister's exchange of accusations has made him even more famous, even to ordinary people in these regions.

As a high-level person in charge of a country's fiscal policy, Maryi. Mohammed knows far more about Soros and his Quantum Fund than it is reported in the newspapers, especially about single-handedly plotting an attack on the pound. and played a key role in the attack on the baht, Drucken Miller. He knows a lot. Because Soros is not very famous in Southeast Asian countries. Hence the Malyi. Muhammad planned to pay a private visit to Druckenmiller, but who would have thought that they would take the initiative to visit, and that they would both come together.

I was very politely invited into the reception room. Soros and Druckenmiller easily met with Malyi. Muhammad, this is a short, dark-skinned fellow. According to the aesthetic point of view of Westerners, Mali. Muhammad's appearance can even be said to be a little shabby: his forehead is short, his eyes are small, his nose is loose, and his fat lips are thick, and even the suit on his body does not fit well, so he does not look like a big man in a high position.

However, Soros and Druckenmiller are naturally not this kind of superficial characters who judge people by their appearance, in fact, Soros noticed at first glance that the treasurer's face was angular and resolute, as resolute as a knife, and this kind of person is generally a strong-willed person who will not easily succumb to difficulties, coupled with the glint in his eyes from time to time, which further confirms what he thinks. As soon as he thought of this, he "chuckled" in his heart, secretly thinking that this visit would probably be in vain.

Druckenmiller obviously had similar thoughts, and after quietly looking at Soros, he introduced himself first, and then introduced Soros before the two sides sat down.

"Mr. Soros, I wonder what happened to you this visit? If you want to put some information out of my mouth about shorting the rupiah, then you can do it without respect. "As soon as the exchange of greetings between the two sides ended, Mali. Muhammad spoke lightly. Although his English with a strong Indonesian accent was awkward, Soros and Druckenmiller understood him.

As a high-level of the country, Muhammad naturally has enough vigilance to take the lead in blocking what Soros may say first, and take precautions in advance, so as to minimize the possibility of leaking news.

He knows very well in his heart that every word he says may be repeatedly amplified by the market, and eventually it will affect the market in some way, and this market is not only the rupiah market, but also the domestic capital market in Indonesia. A shrewd character like Soros, if he is at least a little careless, could leak a secret and end up being used by them.

It's just that what he didn't expect was that after Soros heard his words, he didn't think it was a pestle at all, just smiled faintly, and said, "Mr. Minister, you are wrong. In fact, we have no interest in attacking Indonesia's currency. On the contrary, we have also increased the rupiah a lot. ”

See Mali. With a look of suspicion on Muhammad's face, Druckenmiller immediately added: "Yes! Mr. Minister, George once said in Hong Kong that the currency crisis that took place in Asia is over, and this is not a prevarication, nor is it a lie. In fact, after that, we were very bullish on the rupiah, so we went to great lengths to buy a lot of rupiah in the hope of helping the Indonesian government. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Soros continued: "I vouch in the name of God and the honor of my family, and every word Stanley says is serious. ”

Looking at the tacit cooperation between the two singing and harmonizing, Malyi. Muhammad smiled, nodded, and said, "Since that's the case, then we have a lot to discuss." ”

Although there are still doubts in his heart, Malyi. Muhammad didn't show it, and he then began to talk about Indonesia's economic prospects and future plans. Interspersed with explanations of the usefulness of the IMF's bailout plan are interspersed. Soros and Druckenmiller, on the other hand, listened carefully, asking a few questions from time to time.

The two sides talked for more than an hour in this friendly atmosphere. Muhammad then finished his series of speeches that had been prepared in advance. This set of rhetoric is also the same as dealing with the US Treasury, the IMF, the World Bank, etc., and the questions raised by Soros, Druckenmiller and others have long been raised. Muhammad was calm and disapproving, thinking that the hedge fund elite was nothing more than that.

After finishing speaking, he felt a little dry mouth, so he casually picked up a cup of coffee that was already half-cold in his hand and tasted it. At the same time, observe the performance of these people on the other side.

It didn't surprise him. After exchanging glances with Soros, Druckenmiller said with a smile: "Mr. Minister, thank you for your wonderful analysis, we are very impressed by your excellent work. It gives us a full and direct understanding of the Indonesian government and their economy. Next. I would also like to ask a few questions. I wonder if it's convenient for you to answer? ”

"This coffee is good, although it is not as good as our cat poop coffee, but it has a smooth taste. It looks like I'm going to take a few more bags of coffee beans back with me. "Mali is thinking nonsense. Muhammad nodded absentmindedly, still thinking about the coffee, and took another sip from his cup.

"As you may know, the market has been flooded with news about the Indonesian government recently, some of which are true and false, and many of them are rumors, such as President Suharto's health problems. But among all the news, we are most concerned about the fact that Suharto's government and their family are rumored to be printing money to their friends...... Dishonorable friend, if you don't mind. Also, it is said that these disgraceful friends exchanged these rupiah into US dollars through the bank and transferred them out of Lu, and the source of these US dollars is the IMF's rescue funds. ”

"Ahem......" As soon as the coffee entered his throat, he heard these words, Muhammad suddenly panicked a little, and was choked in a hurry, but fortunately, he reacted quickly enough, and quickly covered his mouth, so that the coffee that had been swallowed did not spew out, even so, he was flushed, and the green tendons on his forehead protruded, looking not lightly.

Seeing his reaction, Soros and Druckenmiller quickly exchanged glances, and there was some clarity in their hearts: this Mr. Treasury Minister not only knew what he was doing, but also maybe participated in it.

Malyi, who finally came to his senses. Muhammad raised his head again, but when he saw Soros's smiling expression, he felt a little awe-inspiring in his heart. Looking at Druckenmiller again, the expression of this Soros's left and right hands has not changed, and the sitting posture is still leaning forward slightly, looking humble and teachable, but the originally plain eyes are flickering frequently at this time, obviously thinking about something.

In this case, Malyi. Muhammad naturally cannot deny it, in fact, since last night, this news has spread everywhere like a virus, and even the staff around Muhammad have heard about it. Do you want to deny in front of two hedge fund managers that you have heard this rumor, Malyi. With a slight flash in his mind, Muhammad decisively dismissed the idea.

Since it cannot be denied, it can only be admitted indirectly. Muhammad nodded slightly, then raised his coffee cup again, and tasted it as if he were tasting jade brewed elixir.

"Then dare to ask Mr. Minister, I wonder if these rumors in the market are true or false?" Druckenmiller naturally would not let go of the opportunity to pursue, and the question that he had thought about in advance was thrown out immediately, "You must know that these rescue funds have a clear purpose, if such a thing really happens, we investors will immediately become victims!" ”

Malyi. Muhammad was so embarrassed that he did not know how to answer these questions. Now that he is the country's finance minister, it is absolutely impossible for him to tell a lie in this situation, otherwise not only him, but also the trust of many high-ranking Indonesian government officials, including President Suharto, will be immediately lost. And he can't tell the truth, because once he admits the fact of this "stealing", the anger of foreign investors and the sanctions that may follow, etc., are not something he can face.

But politicians are politicians, at least after a little panic at first, Malyi. Muhammad quickly regained his composure and replied: "We in the Indonesian government have a consensus, and the agreement with the IMF also has clear rules on the use of these relief funds. All I can say about the rumors in the market is bullshit! Nonsense! This is obviously a rumor and wants to wait for an opportunity to short the Indonesian rupiah! ”

He said it righteously and awe-inspiringly, full of energy, coupled with rich body movements, if he changed to an ordinary person, I am afraid that he will be deceived by him. But his eyes kept flickering, constantly dodging the forced gazes of Soros and Druckenmiller, which naturally greatly reduced the effect of his words in the hearts of the two.

"I'll ask a question too!" Seeing that Muhammad avoided the important and only used some diplomatic rhetoric to perfunctory, Soros personally stepped out and went into battle shirtless, "There are also rumors in the market that according to the previous agreement between your country and the IMF, 16 banks need to be closed. And one of the banks that is said to be behind the Suharto family has not been closed, and a large number of assets have been transferred, I wonder if there is such a thing in Lu Dao? ”

Unlike Druckenmiller, Soros put more pressure on Mohammed, so much so that fine beads of sweat appeared on the finance minister's forehead. After organizing some words in his heart, Mohammed pretended to be calm and said: "I don't know much about these banks. However, as far as I know, the closure of these banks will take some time, such as liquidating assets and returning deposits, which will not be resolved in a short time. As for what you said, I'm afraid it may also be a rumor from someone who shorted the rupiah, so it's better not to believe it too much. ”

This time, he mustered up the courage to look at Soros, but he only lasted five seconds before he was defeated, because the other party's eyes were clearly full of disdain, sarcasm, ridicule and anger, the last time Muhammad saw this kind of look was when he was violently beaten by the next door neighbor's house.

Malyi. Muhammad was a good official, a decent man, a man of great ability, and a great reputation. But because of this, he can't lie openly, otherwise he will only ruin the reputation he has built up so hard.

The conversation had reached this point, and there was not much need to continue, and after a few more pleasantries, the iron-faced Soros and Druckenmiller got up to say goodbye.

Politely send them to the door and return to the room of Malyi. Muhammad took another sip of coffee, only to feel that the smooth, aromatic coffee had become extremely bitter and almost difficult to swallow, which made him decisively discourage the idea of buying coffee beans.

On this side, several people from the Quantum Fund were silent after leaving the hotel, until a row of limousines drove back to their headquarters, and then someone shouted loudly: "Oh my God! My God! How so, I can't believe we're going long! ”

Traders and analysts who were busy on the trading floor turned their heads and looked in the direction of the voice, and found that it was Druckenmiller, the manager whose prestige within the Quantum Fund was second only to Soros. Although he didn't understand what was going on for a while, seeing Druckenmiller's angry expression, he knew that something must have happened.

Soros was the calmest, and just said lightly: "Now all the complaints are useless, find a way to close these positions in the shortest possible time!" ”

At this time, Druckenmiller also calmed down, bowed his head and thought hard for a long time, and then said helplessly: "I'm afraid it's not easy, with the current liquidity, plus the impact of these news, we have almost no possibility of flattening!" (To be continued......)

PS: PS: Book friends, the big news that was predicted just two days ago was released, although the prediction object is wrong, but it is also a big news! BTW: Thank you book friends lubo98, TinyBee, and cljdc for their monthly votes and the invincible Flying Dragon King!