Time ticked by and it was now only three more minutes until the market opened and Sena went public. Jasper had been invited onto the temporarily built stage.
The stage was right under the largest main screen in Nasdaq Exchange Center, which was at the center of the room.
Under everyone’s attentive gaze, Jasper and Jack got on stage.
In the middle of the stage was a large bell.
Since Nasdaq Exchange’s founding, every business that went public would have its legal personality ring this bell.
It was a tradition as much as it was a symbol.
The electronic screen continued to display worlds of welcome like ‘Nasdaq welcomes Sena’ while hundreds of traders had already gotten into position. There were a few dozen reporters holding their cameras, waiting to take a picture of this historical moment.
Jasper accepted a wooden hammer from a manager in the exchange center and was just about to invite Jack to ring the bell with him when he saw the other shake his head with a smile.
“You should ring the bell yourself, Mr. Laine,” Jack spoke.
Although he was stunned, Jasper saw the shine in Jack’s eyes and did not insist. “Alright then.”
Everyone looked up and focused on the electronic screen that covered the entire wall. It displayed both Nasdaq’s and Sena’s logo, as well as an analog clock.
The second hand of the clock ticked continuously until it was almost racing to 9:30 a.m.
“5…
“4…
“3…
“2…
“1…”
Hundreds of people counted down at the same time in the exchange Center.
It was currently 9:30 a.m. in the United States, and Jasper knocked the wooden hammer against the bell, signifying the opening of the market.
Ring!
The deep and strong sound of the bell rang throughout the entire exchange center.
Under everyone’s cheers, the reporters’ cameras flashed maddeningly as they tried to commemorate this historical moment.
At this moment, shares for the first internet enterprise from Somerland had moved on from the bursting of the dot-com bubble and registered itself at Nasdaq Exchange Center.
Its ticker—SENA!
Jasper and the group got down from the stage after they rang the bell. They began to pay attention to the changes in share prices.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking.” A senior executive sucked in a deep breath and felt a little antsy.
Jack was rather relaxed as he smiled and said, “The share market in the United States has different rules compared to the markets back home. New shares here normally pay more attention to the pre-IPO on the first day of trading and the more shares bought pre-IPO make for a higher share price. It’ll take some time before the data is confirmed. Don’t worry.”
In the United States, most investors tended to buy shares of new businesses through pre-IPO.
Sena, for example, started with an issue price of 25 US dollars with 96 million US dollars worth of shares outstanding.
The more shares bought by investors through pre-IPO, the higher the price would increase.
The most important thing was that there was not a 10% rise limit when it came to buying shares through pre-IPO.
That meant if Sena was formidable enough, its prices could rise instantly to 200 US dollars.
How difficult would that be?
Impossibly hard.
The share market was no longer as crazy as it used to be before the burst of the dot-com bubble.
As the world’s economic development slowed, trade also decreased in large exchange centers like Nasdaq, the Dow Jones Index, and the Nikkei Index.
This proved that investors were getting less enthusiastic and there was also less hot money in the markets compared to before.
Many investors were starting to be more rational and no longer rushed to one sector maddeningly.
Beneath Jasper’s calm facade was immense pressure.
Within the bustling exchange center, Jasper watched the scene before him calmly.
Reporters were still thinking of ways to interview Sena’s senior executives, and traders had already begun receiving phone calls while starting a new day of work.
The room was filled with the scent of money and benefits.
All of which added to the pressure on Jasper’s shoulders.
An issue price of 25 US dollars had to grow at least five times to exceed 120 US dollars.
Not even Winston Benett would dare to make such a bet, let alone Jasper.
“What’s with the long face?” Celine interrupted Jasper’s deep thoughts.
Jasper turned to see Celine’s relaxed expression and laughed. “And here I am, worried about whether the share price will meet the requirements when you’re acting like it has nothing to do with you.”
“Oh, come on.” Celine pinched Jasper’s shoulder and beamed at him. “Don’t worry about it. So what if it doesn’t hit the target we set? The point of Sena going public was to help contribute to your cash flow. From the hype we’ve garnered over the past few days, I’m pretty sure we’ve already met the initial goal.
“As to whether we win the bet or not, what’s the big deal if we lose? I’ll just resign and wait for you to open a bank for me.”
Celine looked at Jasper warily. “You’re not thinking about going back on your word now, are you?”
“It’s too late now.” Jasper smiled, but the curve of his lips fell a second after as he spoke calmly, “Ever since I started working, I’ve only ever lost a small amount when it came to comparing capitals with Wall Street. Losing is a horrible feeling…
“And I don’t like losing!”
At the same time, Nasdaq Exchange Center had also begun trading. Most investors all over the United States were currently seated before their computers and were trading seriously.
In a middle-class family in Michigan, Craig was a lawyer and his wife had a senior managerial position in a local enterprise. The family became wealthy as a result of the couple’s stable and decent-paying jobs, as well as due to the profits that David had earned from the share market these years.
“That damned state telecom operator. I’m going to sue them!”
Flushed, David stared at the computer. He wanted to buy Sena’s shares but the stupid internet kept cutting off.
His roars attracted his wife’s attention.
“What’s wrong, David? Would you like a cup of coffee?”
His wife asked caringly at the door.
“It’s alright. It’s just this stupid telecom operator that’s hindering me from earning my damn money. I’m going to sue the hell out of them if I can’t buy Sena’s shares!”
David spoke agitatedly.
Then, the internet suddenly connected again and on his screen was the notification of a successful transaction. David laughed aloud excitedly. “I bought it! I bought it!
“Oh, oh my God! Are my eyes deceiving me? What’s this price?! How did it rise so quickly?!”
The same situation continued all over the United States.
People who sat before their computers and were ready to buy Sena’s shares realized at the same time that Sena’s prices were rising at a terrifying speed.
It was one price at the last second, only to rise by 20% the next.
With the skyrocketing demand and limited equity, the hype around Sena’s shares grew. Everyone wanted a portion for themselves.
