"The world is currently in a volatile political situation, Richie. The military conflict between Iran and Iraq is causing turmoil in the fuel market. The USSR is experiencing extremely unstable political conditions. Our intelligence analysts are predicting a revolution in the USSR, which will inevitably impact the global market. Many investors are urgently selling securities and accumulating cash in anticipation of a drop in stock prices, ready to buy them at the bottom. Many are wary of leaving money in bank accounts and are investing in precious metals. But huge reserves of precious metals are being smuggled from the USSR to Europe. Because of this, instead of rising, we are seeing a decline in the prices of gold, platinum, and silver."
"I understand all this perfectly, but it's unclear what to invest in now? No matter what stocks you buy, there's a serious risk of losing a significant amount of capital."
- Richie, I can offer you an investment in the Rich Group.
- No way! Real estate prices are falling now, too.
"Let's think about it then. If real estate prices are falling, then it's logical that now is the time to invest. Buy up cheap land and old houses to demolish and build modern structures."
"It makes sense from the perspective of a large corporation that can afford large long-term investments. I'm only dealing with hundreds of millions of dollars."
Gerald grimaced in disgust.
"Richie, you're using Yankee currency again! What's wrong with pounds?"
"Well, at least because they're getting cheaper. Actually, Dad, you gave me a good idea. Now's the perfect time to buy some cheap shares of some corporations."
Richard levitated the radiotelephone towards himself.
"Richie, what did I tell you about magic in the house?!" Gerald asked in a displeased, threatening tone.
"Nobody saw them anyway," the boy waved it off, taking a small notebook out of his jacket pocket and starting to leaf through it. "Aha! Here they are!"
- What's there?
Gerald rose from his chair, craned his neck, and peered curiously into the small notebook. It was filled with tiny handwritten notes: mini-financial summaries and company names.
Richard dialed the phone and said:
"Dan, call your broker. Have him monitor the following companies: Intel, Microsoft, Advanced Micro Devices, Micron Technology."
- Sir, what do you need? To buy shares of these companies?
"As usual, Mr. Silver. Catch the lowest price and buy up as many shares as possible. The period is August through the end of September. The asking price is one hundred million dollars. Basically, my entire company account is at your disposal."
- Understood, sir. Intel, AMD, Micron, and Microsoft. Anything else?
- There is no money for anything else, so this is enough.
After Richard finished the phone call, Gerald asked:
"Richie, why these companies in particular? There are other promising firms in the IT industry. Apple, for example."
"Apple will be a... hmm... This company will be losing out to Microsoft until the 2000s. It won't be worth investing in until the beginning of the next century, if the company stays afloat."
"Richie!" His father's stern gaze didn't bode well. "Haven't you been spanked in a while? What kind of plebeian, vulgar language are you using?"
"Excuse me, Father, but it's true. Microsoft is soon to launch an operating system with a graphical user interface. Of course, it will be terrible, like almost any unfinished product, but this alone will boost their stock price. Whatever operating system they release, the company's programmers will gain experience. Their next product will be better, which will lead to an explosive rise in the company's stock price. By the way, what's the news about graphene research?"
"That incident at the university, Richie, created quite a stir. All the world's media covered you and the discovery of this new substance. Now, governments and some companies are allocating significant funds to graphene research. Scientists are promising a great future for this substance."
"Uh-huh, I see. There's no point in investing in graphene for the next ten years unless scientists miraculously create an industrial laser system for mass-producing graphene sheets. Hmm... What if..."
- What?
"Oh, just an idea. I won't share it yet, so as not to spoil my luck."