Manhattan Reborn 1978

a new day.

Europe.

London, a cafe near the City.

on this Friday morning.

Many financial industry workers working in the Financial City ran into cafes to buy a cup of hot coffee, and then rushed to work. .

Zina Osevia and Elena Mesa were sitting at the table near the window, quietly watching the people coming and going at the "busy" door, and tasting the charming aroma and rich taste of coffee. .

ten minutes later.

As fewer and fewer customers entered the cafe, Toby Olga's figure appeared at the door.

"Hey~ You guys really enjoy it so much!" Toby walked over to the two sisters and sat down, rubbing his red hands together and teasing.

"Haha~" Zina smiled softly and helplessly stirred the little spoon in her hand.

"Wake up early in the morning and come over here to drink a cup of hot coffee. Is that considered enjoyment?"

"Have you never really enjoyed your life?"

"Uh..." Toby blinked a few times quickly, thought about his "busy" life for more than 20 years, and sighed in agreement.

"Yes!"

"Study and work have taken up too much time..."

"But I don't work and I don't have money to enjoy..."

"Hahaha~" Elena smiled charmingly and attacked Toby.

“Many people feel that when they have time, they don’t have money.”

"When I have made a lot of money and want to enjoy it, it is difficult to find time."

"That's why there are so many women who no longer want to work hard on their own and are looking for a rich man to marry them off every day."

"Hahaha~ That's right!" Zina also laughed and "made it up", her face full of "happiness and satisfaction". .

"..." Toby raised his head with an embarrassed face, looked directly at the two people who had "achieved the goal", squeezed out a stiff smile, and teased.

"I work for the boss..."

"Then...since you two have chosen to give up your efforts, why do you still come with me?"

"No, no, no!"

Zina raised her index finger and said with a confident smile: "Who said we don't need to work?!"

“If we don’t work, how can we reflect our value and gain more recognition?”

"Doing nothing all day long will not bring you a sense of satisfaction!"

"...!!" Toby closed his mouth and stopped talking.

Elena glanced at the dwindling streets outside the window, finally brought the topic back and asked.

"Have you received any updates?"

"Um.."

Toby quickly put aside all the little emotions in his heart, took a sip of coffee, and said quickly.

"Oil and natural gas prices in the North Sea oil fields are going to rise again!"

"Almost everyone thought that today's stock market will usher in another wave of gains after learning the news last night."

"Among them, companies in industries that are closely related to oil prices will see stock prices rise to varying degrees~"

"Including basic chemical raw materials obtained through cracking, reforming and separation of crude oil: ethylene, propylene, butylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylene, etc."

"From these basic raw materials, the basic organic raw materials that can be produced are: methanol, formaldehyde, ethanol, acetaldehyde, acetic acid, acetone, etc."

Toby took out a few folded documents from his small bag, opened them and explained to Xina.

"Petrochemical products are a basic industrial industry that many people don't know much about."

"As large as airplanes, ships, trains and cars on land, as small as desks, toothbrushes, towels, food packaging containers, colorful clothing, various building materials and decoration supplies that we use daily, etc."

"They are all closely related to the petrochemical industry!"

“It can be said that petrochemical products are inseparable from everything in our daily lives including food, clothing, housing and transportation.”

“So, during the last period of global inflation when oil prices quadrupled, companies and enterprises listed on the stock market had to grit their teeth and significantly increase wages for their workers.”

"Because if the income of the working class fails to keep up with the rate of price increases, inflation will only become more serious."

Toby raised his head and glanced at Zina who was lost in thought, then at Elena who was smiling, shrugged and continued.

"Oil prices are rising again, which brings all good news."

"Airlines, ocean shipping companies, automobile service providers and automobile manufacturers, etc., will have to increase operating costs due to the rise in oil prices, squeezing the already small profit margins, causing stock prices to plummet."

"And the increase in natural gas prices, which has the greatest impact on ordinary people, will make London's winter more and more chaotic."

"When we came here this morning, the group of people we saw on the street were going to participate in a new round of demonstrations and strikes, hoping to get another wage increase."

"Besides~ I just got some gossip."

"If food and gas prices rise again in London early next month, unions will unite to stage the largest strike in history."

"Hmm~" Xina said with an amused smile.

"This is... the difference between British and Americans!"

"Most of the people who like to hold demonstrations on the streets in New York do it to obtain various freedoms and express their views and positions."

"Most of the people who took to the streets to participate in demonstrations here in London were doing it to gain practical benefits for themselves."

Elena couldn't help but smile and continued: "Are you two going to become sociologists and economists?"

"...Hahaha~" Xina and Toby looked at each other and smiled.

"Okay~ let's get back to the topic."

"Today is Friday, and the spot price of gold in the City of London has been showing an upward trend in the past week."

"At present, the gradual upward trend in gold prices may continue next week, but price fluctuations after this round of gold price increases may also appear next week."

"The Bank of England still has not made any announcement about raising interest rates."

"Therefore, many foreign banks have begun to withdraw funds from the stock market, bond market and commodity market little by little and transfer them to the United States."

Toby lowered his head and looked at the record in his hand, and said fully into working mode: "I asked several friends who work in banks and exchanges."

"They generally believe that if the Fed decides to raise interest rates, the dollar will appreciate; if the oil crisis causes oil prices to skyrocket again, the stock market will only have related industries and varieties that are good for rising oil prices, and stock prices will rise."

"The rest of the stocks will have a downward trend..."

"And~"

"Banks from various countries in the Financial City are meeting to discuss whether to raise interest rates together after the next round of Fed rate hikes."

"Because if they choose not to raise interest rates, the total amount of deposits may decline to a certain extent, and the deposit margin will be tested until they have to sell some high-quality assets they hold to make up for the lack of deposit margin."

"Therefore, these foreign bank executives in the City of London tend to follow the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike policy and tentatively increase some deposit interest rates to ensure that there will not be a large-scale deposit outflow!"

Toby gestured to Zina and Elena to count the money and said with a smile: "In the Financial City, there are branches of Citibank and Morgan Bank in London."

"If the Federal Reserve raises interest rates and the Bank of England deposit interest remains unchanged, who do you think those who have deposits will choose?"

"Of course it's a bank with high interest rates!" Zina spread her hands and smiled naturally.

"That's right!"

Toby tilted his head and looked at Elena: "I heard the boss's secretary Maggie said that he used a word to describe the phenomenon that after the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, the amount of deposits in American banks will rise sharply."

"Yes!"

Elena picked up the coffee elegantly and said with a smile: "He calls this phenomenon: the tidal phenomenon of profit-seeking funds."