Chapter 110: Turbulence at CAA
The relatively relaxed post-production schedule gave Duke a little free time. Taking advantage of the weekend, he met with a stockbroker his mother had recommended and obtained a massive amount of data on the stock and financial markets. Holed up in his apartment, he studied the information carefully, discovering that aside from long-established giants like General Electric, General Motors, and Mobil Oil, Microsoft and Apple were the only emerging IT stocks he clearly remembered.
Though he knew companies like Intel were giants—having been bombarded by their ads and frequently using computers—he wasn't sure of their future trajectories. Besides, with Microsoft and Apple around, why choose anything else?
His investment goal was incredibly simple: to preserve and grow his wealth. Holding onto massive amounts of cash was definitely the stupidest approach.
Microsoft was currently a hot stock in North America. After thinking it over, Duke decided to hold off on it for now and turned his attention to Apple.
Of course, Duke wasn't foolish enough to blindly buy up Apple stock in bulk. He hired an investigative consulting firm to look into the current status of Apple and Steve Jobs, just in case reality differed from his fuzzy memories and he ended up going bankrupt alongside them.
Within a few days, the firm returned enough information for him to make a judgment. Apple was deeply bogged down; rumor had it they could face bankruptcy and reorganization at any moment. Their stock price was in a free fall, rendering it virtually untouched by investors.
Meanwhile, Steve Jobs was hiding out in San Francisco running Pixar Studio. Their first animated feature was more than half finished, telling the story of a group of toys...
Because his memories of North America outside the film industry weren't extensive, this alone wasn't enough for Duke to make a clear judgment. But just as with investing in movies, any investment carried risks. With Apple in such poor condition, it was the perfect time to buy their stock on the cheap.
Enduring his stockbroker's gaze—who looked at him as if he were an idiot—Duke stood his ground. Within a week, the three million dollars to his name had been entirely converted into Apple stock.