Chapter 97: Five Million in Net Profit in the First Week

The Hongze subaccount had made quite a haul.

Three stocks, each bought with two million, had gone in separately. One was down about five percent, while the other two were essentially flat.

With the remaining four million, Tiannan Technology had surged twenty percent. Excluding the slight loss on the one position, the net profit was seven hundred thousand. Qian Caiying did not care about the strong opening in the first week; she cared about something else.

"Just luck?"

"If not, then what?" Zhang Long chuckled and shrugged. "I am no god. How would I know it would definitely rise? Besides, Tiannan Technology was a stock your Hongze platform selected and recommended, wasn't it?"

"Humph, spare me."

Qian Caiying's voice on the phone was noncommittal. "I checked the fundamentals and there was nothing particularly bullish. Technically, it was sitting at support, but that was all. Not adding more was fine; adding before a big rise clearly showed confidence."

"I am not trying to ask about your source. I'm just curious. Humor my curiosity, won't you?"

"Tsk. Cut it out."

Zhang Long fired back with the same words. "Anyway, I know nothing. I'm just an ordinary small retail trader with a bit of luck, nothing else."

"No need to go on about the rest. I trade normally. No rules broken, no laws broken. If nothing else, I am hanging up."

"Wait, hold on."

Qian Caiying pouted and muttered, "You hang up at the slightest thing. I could really beat you to death! Tonight I'm hosting a welcome banquet for Liang Xue's team. Come join the fun."

"Sorry, I have things to do."

Zhang Long refused without hesitation. "I don't get involved in your company's affairs, and I don't want to meet people I know."

"And I won't have time tomorrow or the day after either. CFA exam and driving practice. I prefer quiet these days, not activity. So unless it's urgent, don't bother me. Thanks."

"May you live long and prosper."

With that, he hung up, leaving Qian Caiying grinding her teeth on the other end. This dragon had a terrible temper.

Not the least bit tenderhearted.

...

When the cannon fires, gold is worth ten thousand taels.

Stocks, futures, spot markets—whatever the instrument, price rises and falls are all changes in expectations. If certain news can influence investors' expectations, then the news drives sentiment, and sentiment drives buying and selling.

The United States, the barometer of the global economy.

Initial jobless claims are released weekly. A rise in claims means the economy is weakening, the dollar is likely to fall, and precious metals such as gold and silver turn bullish. The opposite is also true.

As for nonfarm payrolls, they come once a month.

An increase in nonfarm employment signals a healthier American economy and a bullish dollar, while gold, silver, and other precious metals turn bearish. Again, the reverse is also true.

During the day, Zhang Long made several spot trades. Because the account size was large, profits came easily.

Though there were a few losing trades, he always used foresight in time to turn them around, netting seven hundred thousand in profit.

He wanted to make more, but that was a bit difficult.

Nonfarm payrolls were especially important. Perhaps investors around the world were waiting or gathering their strength, so daytime volatility was not very large and the room for movement was insufficient.

So Zhang Long waited too. He still had one foresight opportunity left, and if used well, it could earn him two rounds.

Another eight hundred thousand, and the target would be complete.

"Nine-thirty. Almost there."

Time passed minute by minute. During winter time, the American market and the nonfarm data both opened at nine-thirty in the evening. Zhang Long had no open positions at the moment. Silver spot prices had begun to swing more violently, and while limit orders were possible, most investors still preferred to enter in real time.

A surge of sell orders or buy orders would send silver prices into sharp swings. It was a gamble.

Nonfarm payrolls usually moved two or three hundred points, or more, in an instant. If you guessed right, your principal could double directly. If you guessed wrong, you could be liquidated on the spot and left half ruined.

"Buzzz, buzzzz..."

A message from Wang Jing with a trading suggestion arrived. Silver was fluctuating around 6150 at the moment. If he placed limit orders...

"Damn, that is a trap!"

Zhang Long jolted and clicked his tongue.

...

Nine-thirty arrived. Nonfarm data came in bullish!

Silver shot upward by more than fifty points in an instant, reaching around 6200, then abruptly reversed and plunged all the way down. In just three to five seconds it fell to 6100, and then kept breaking lower, heading straight for 6000.

With that kind of move, whether you had placed limit orders to go long or had clicked into a prebuilt long position the moment the data came out bullish, it was a straight road to heavy losses.

The data was indeed bullish, but no matter how bullish the news was, it could not withstand the crushing force of a massive wave of short selling. The market plunged.

The market is always right.

No matter how many institutions and capital groups sold short against the bullish data, a drop is a drop. You had to accept it.

"It's over, it's over..."

"So many long positions are about to explode."

Though the director had not yet sent customer trade screenshots in the group, with nonfarm data bullish, the vast majority of clients would definitely have gone long. This wave of losses was hopeless.

If they had also gone short at the same time, that would have been better. The instant the market dropped, buying in meant being long and short at once.

Longs lost money, shorts made money.

That was a hedge. Even if prices fell to 6000, one leg would lose and the other would win. When the support level was reached, the short side could run. If prices then recovered, the long side would gradually claw back losses and, in effect, make money.

"The screenshot is here..."

"Huh? Did Brother Long not trade?"

Zhang Long's name did not appear in the open-position list. Wang Jing pressed her lips together and said nothing. He probably had not traded. But right now silver was close to falling to 6000, so going long now was still possible.

"Damn, he didn't skip it—he already took profits and got out. Eighty contracts netted a gain of 150 points!"

Suddenly, a colleague spotted Zhang Long's name in the closing list. He had shorted at 6180 and, after holding for only half a minute, exited around 6010.

What kind of divine move was that? He bought in almost at the exact moment the trend flipped from rise to fall. Perfect timing.

"Awesome, he went long again."

"One hundred contracts entered. Nice!"

...

At Binhai Dragon Residence, Zhang Long let out a long breath after buying one hundred long contracts. His foresight had already been used up. The downward wave had ended in profit around 6000, which meant he could catch a rebound and go long. Since he did not know exactly how far it would bounce, he had not gone all-in or even heavily leveraged.

Nonfarm was bullish, yet the market fell instead. Would it turn back into a bullish move next? There was a chance.

Still, if this one hundred-contract long made just forty points, that would be two hundred thousand. Add the six hundred thousand from the earlier eighty-contract short that had earned 150 points, and today's profit target would be met. The five-day target for the week would also be complete, for a net gain of five million!

He was a little anxious, and a little excited.

"Brother Wang, there's still a chance..."

At the Huiyin Trading Department, Wang Jing was calling clients whose long positions had already been force-liquidated. Zhang Long, who acted independently and decisively, did not need her concern. That guy was steady.

She first called the clients with losses to comfort them or help them trade back what they had lost. Those who were making money were not urgent.

And so time passed. Ten o'clock.

"Uh, do I exit or not?"

Seeing silver rise to around 6080, the one hundred long contracts had already reached a net profit of forty points, or two hundred thousand. Just as he hesitated slightly, it rose a few more points.

Zhang Long had activated one million in principal, and later, when he once traded to make up the contract count, he had also added another twenty thousand.

Strictly speaking, the account needed to reach 6.02 million in order to have netted five million. It was already enough now.

"Ah, I got greedy."

Suddenly Zhang Long exhaled deeply. Faced with more room to rise, greed had crept in. He had already made enough to meet the target; taking profits and leaving was the right path. The market offered countless opportunities, and greed did not always lead to a good ending.

Had he forgotten the last time he stubbornly held a losing position?

"Let's go. Done."

No longer hesitating, Zhang Long clicked to close the position. Watching the account freeze at 6.035 million, he felt an immense sense of relief. He shut down the computer and went to sleep.

On Monday morning, he would withdraw 4.02 million, then open two more accounts to activate and operate, beginning the next phase of expansion.

He was already extremely skilled at five days of spot trading. What remained was to use multiple platforms and fleece the sheep.

Copy the profits, split them, and let them multiply.

"Hee-shua-shua, hee-shua-shua..."

Humming softly as he washed in the bathroom, Zhang Long's mind brimmed with fantasies. Tomorrow he would take the CFA exam. After that, would the system automatically judge success and upgrade the golden finger, or would he have to wait until the first-level finance certificate was issued?

No matter. Tomorrow after the exam, he would know.

He had been at Level One for far too long. It was time for change.

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