Reborn in America, I am a legendary short seller on Wall Street.

Chapter 10 Huge Profits
On Monday, Larry arrived in downtown Boston early.

It was already late autumn, and there was still a cold morning mist. Larry wrapped his coat tighter around himself and spent 5 cents to buy a copy of the Boston Globe from a newsboy.

His biggest concern right now is the aftermath of the Baltimore incident.

Newspaper editorials were almost all about this major event, and prominent figures in the United States came forward to condemn the atrocities committed by Chilean mobs against American sailors.

The Harrison government's stance remained consistent: a carrot-and-stick approach. On one hand, it demanded an apology from the Chilean government and compensation for the losses suffered by the US Navy; on the other hand, it ordered the naval fleet to prepare for combat, with the Marine Corps ready for deployment.

At this time, Navy Secretary Benjamin Tracy stepped forward and advocated in the media for advancing the modernization of U.S. Navy ships.

The atmosphere of war instantly filled the entire United States.

Larry had very little knowledge of history from his previous life and was unaware of how the matter unfolded afterward... Of course, he didn't really care.

Larry is concerned about whether the panic caused by this war can provide further downward pressure on the stock market.

Judging from the current public opinion, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Larry dropped the newspaper, put his hands in his pockets, whistled, and headed straight for Paine Weber Securities.

At 10 o'clock, the stock market opened.

The price quote machine kept clicking away, like a war drum, stimulating everyone's adrenaline to surge wildly.

The trading hall was packed with people, as if all of Boston's elite had come to witness the stock market crash.

Larry, with one hand clinging to the ladder, heard the first offer from Union Pacific.
"United Pacific, $88.5!!"

The trading hall suddenly became noisy, because even though it was only the weekend, the stock was still closing at $97!

The subsequent stock prices also followed suit, generally falling by more than 15% compared to the closing price at the end of last week.

The terrifying atmosphere of war caused a collective nervous breakdown among the gentlemen of Wall Street, and a wave of stock selling swept across the United States.

"Westpac, $91!"

"United Steel, $26.5!"

Larry's hand, which was writing the quote, flew out of control, and the irrational drop triggered further irrationality, with the price of every stock fluctuating wildly.

Finally, Larry heard the name of the stock he had been wanting to hear for a long time.

"Barton Mining, $6.8!"

Larry's chalk hovered in mid-air, hesitant to write.

At that time, the US securities trading system still involved stockbrokers "shouting" their orders in the stock exchange.

If someone is eager to sell their stock, but there happens to be no high-priced buying pressure in the market, the stock price will be suppressed very low.

Larry clearly remembered that Barton Mining's stock price was $8.25 when the stock market closed on Saturday morning, but now that the market had just opened, the stock price had already dropped by nearly $1.5.

The stock market has just opened!

Life is full of ups and downs, it's so exciting!
Larry continued copying down the market data, but his mind kept wandering to his profit changes, which was inevitable, especially since Larry was just a teenager at the time.

Even with memories of his past life, his physical and mental reactions are still more like those of a passionate young man.

After the morning session ended, Larry lost all interest in staying at Paine Weber Securities and casually asked Mr. Porter for leave.

Mr. Potter was furious and said he would deduct 75 cents from his entire day's pay!

Larry feigned heartache, but after rushing out of Mr. Porter's office, he made a universally accepted friendly gesture toward the 75 cents.

For lunch, Larry ate a plate of chicken pudding and a pound of oysters before finally standing outside the betting house, burping. At 12:55 p.m., Larry checked the transaction slip in his pocket and followed the crowd into the betting house's trading hall.

The place was bustling with activity. Accountants who had temporarily skipped work, teachers taking their lunch break, and workers who had sneaked out gathered in front of the price quotation board, anxiously waiting for the market to open.

At 1 p.m. sharp, the entire business hall began to be taken over by an atmosphere of anxiety and frenzy.

People waved their trading slips and began shouting wildly in front of the stock prices they were buying and selling on the quote board, as if they were on a Boston Red Sox baseball field.

Larry stared at the name, Barton Mining, waiting for the latest offer.

About five minutes later, Barton Mining's first price for the afternoon appeared.

"6.2 USD!"

Larry couldn't help but clench his fist.

After that, Barton Minerals' prices fell further. Around 2 PM, they broke below the $6 mark and began to slide steadily towards $5.50.

Larry was delighted. He had one hand in his pocket, holding his trading slips, and the warrior-like shouts of the stock market investors filled his ears. He felt truly satisfied.

However, at that moment, Larry noticed an unusual offer.

"United Pacific, $88.5!"

Larry clearly remembers that Union Pacific was the first stock quote he copied down that day, at $88.5. Subsequently, the stock price fell below $85 and continued to decline.

But now, its price has surprisingly returned to $88.5...

Are the bulls starting to buy?

Larry's eyes narrowed, and he began to pay close attention to the changes in other stock prices.

Sure enough, upon noticing this, many stocks began to steadily recover. It seems the panic is dissipating, and rational, astute traders are starting to buy stocks again.

A while later, Barton Mining's latest price was also released.

At $5.5, it didn't rise like other stocks, but it also didn't continue to fall.

Larry didn't hesitate any longer. He walked to the trading counter, placed a transaction order, and requested to buy and close the position.

The teller glanced at the price list and wrote down the following below the line: "Sell at $12.60, margin $2 per share, sell 6 shares".

He signed his name after stating, "I bought in at $5.5 to close the position."

The teller glanced down at the slip, a slight smile appearing on her face. "Congratulations, kid, you've really made a lot of money."

Larry smiled at him, then turned and went to the cashier's counter.

The cashier took the bill, first counting out the previous capital of $12, then $42, plus two 25-cent coins, and stuffed them into Larry's hand.

Holding the wad of money, Larry was overwhelmed with emotion.

Larry looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, then quickly stuffed the $54.5 into his shirt pocket, close to his heart, and slipped out of the betting shop.

When Larry stepped outside, it was only a little past two in the afternoon. The warm sunshine felt wonderful on his skin!

Larry was overwhelmed with emotion as he looked at the thick stack of US dollars.

It was just one transaction, which took only a few days, and Larry earned nearly three months' salary!
Damn it, my father lost three fingers while working as a sailor, and they only gave him 50 yuan as a consolation payment.

Choosing the right industry—the stock market—and entering the world of betting is probably the biggest benefit of being reborn!
Making money! I've found the right path for me, and my goal from now on is to make money like crazy!!
(End of this chapter)