Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Black-Haired Investor Awakened as a Superhuman - Episode 060
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The world moves through people.
No matter how large a company may be, the actual decision-making power is concentrated within a small network of individuals.
This is especially true for companies embroiled in legal controversies, like Tether.
Since official channels are always under surveillance, the real currents flow discreetly within unseen networks.
Ding!-
Claire's reply arrived.
[ I have quite a close relationship with Digital Currency Group. ]
Even Sequoia Capital, the best venture capital firm in Silicon Valley, doesn't seem to have direct contact with Tether.
Rather, that was welcome news.
It meant that the major market's attention wasn't focused there yet.
It was a clear signal that opportunity was open.
[ Thank you, Claire. I think I can handle anything related to Digital Currency Group myself. ]
After exchanging a few casual greetings, I turned my attention to the Sandwich Bot.
For the past five minutes or so.
The Sandwich Bot had been diligently accumulating profits while roaming within the Ethereum chain.
[ 0.016 ETH ]
Converted to dollars, it was just over $3.
At first glance, it was an insignificant number. But the real meaning lay in its speed and consistency.
The profit made in 5 minutes amounted to 6% when annualized monthly.
That number exactly matched my pre-drawn expectations. What was more thrilling than the profit itself was that fact.
Confirmation that my hypothesis was correct.
That was enough.
I stopped the Sandwich Bot for now and turned my head back.
Shiva and Sword were still standing silently in their places.
"The bot is successful. But Shiva, if you want to keep digging into Front-Running, you know you need to study this market first."
Shiva's eyes sparkled like glass beads today.
"Bots operating on the blockchain run under the premise that transaction records are transparent. That's true. But the stock market is completely different."
"I should be able to see orders in real-time on the order book, right?"
Shiva asked cautiously.
"Only within the 'showing range.' What's revealed on the order book is just the tip of the iceberg.
In particular, large orders or strategic trades are quietly processed in Dark Pools or internal matching systems. Even if it's not visible on the surface, the game is already set."
That's why it's difficult for individual investors to beat institutions in the stock market.
Even if it was obvious common sense in our world, it seemed to them like a story unraveling hidden secrets.
No, to be precise, it was probably because the terms I was throwing out were unfamiliar.
Words like Dark Pool would have been foreign to them.
They might know the Dark Web, but they certainly wouldn't know Dark Pool.
"Anyway, to do real Front-Running in the stock market, you need to be able to interpret the entire movement of the system three-dimensionally, not just see who is trying to do what, where, in a flat way.
You need to learn practical knowledge such as network delays, exchange routing, and Dark Pool structure first. It's about putting the senses you've honed in the blockchain on completely different rules. It's never an easy task."
Even Shiva, who had completed three years at MIT, didn't seem to fully follow my words.
The eyes that had been sparkling just a moment ago flickered slightly, then began to shine again.
"Well, that's how the world is. How should I learn?"
Let's see.
For Shiva, data that allows him to jump directly into practice would be better than shallow and easy introductory lectures.
I typed a YouTube channel into the search bar and showed it to him.
Number of subscribers? Pathetic.
Profile picture? Outdated old sensibility.
But the videos inside are practical records left by a former HFT (High-Frequency Trading) trader.
Although updates have stopped as he established a quant modeling company, the content is still a living, breathing treasure in itself.
However, the problem is that if you are not proficient in mathematics, those videos will only sound like alien language.
"This, even at MIT, there won't be many people who watch it to the end, you know?"
Can you do it? I looked at Shiva with such eyes.
The corners of Shiva's lips curled up slightly. He stared at me for a moment with an expression as if he had been challenged, then opened his mouth.
"Thank you, CEO."
The brief commotion ended like that.
After the two returned to their respective places.
I reached for the mouse without thinking to open my email inbox.
But suddenly.
It occurred to me that there was no need to do that.
Didn't I have a super memory that could pull out anything I had seen once?
And the more I used my brainpower, the deeper I was reaching.
The moment I closed my eyes, the email I had checked before appeared, occupying my empty vision.
『 To:
From:
Subject:
Proposal for discussion regarding GBTC investment 』
Two weeks ago.
It was one of the emails I received on the day the news of my second Jackpot in the stock market became known.
『 Greetings.
I am deeply impressed by the remarkable insight and performance you have been demonstrating in the stock market recently.
Our Grayscale currently provides safe and regulatory-compliant Bitcoin investment opportunities to institutional and individual investors through the GBTC (Grayscale Bitcoin Trust) product.
We believe that this product can create synergy with your and your Hedge Fund portfolio strategies.
We would like to have an opportunity to introduce it in detail and share our opinions.
Could you spare about 30 minutes?
We can coordinate any method, whether it's a video conference or a direct meeting, to suit your schedule. Please let us know if you need any additional materials.
We look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
Barry Silbert
Grayscale Investments | CEO 』
The headquarters of Digital Currency Group (DCG), located on 6th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
Barry Silbert's decision to nest here was a gamble in its own way.
And the bet paid off.
Avoiding the old Wall Street tycoons who denounced Bitcoin as trash, he was finally able to take root. He was also able to participate in the fast rhythm unique to Midtown.
6th floor of the 636 Avenue of the Americas building.
His office was different from the heavy atmosphere of Wall Street.
The sound of taxi horns could be heard, and billboards were flashing across the glass windows.
That constant noise seemed to reflect the current cryptocurrency scene as it was.
Despite the outbreak of Corona, this street is still chaotic, fast, and unpredictable.
That's why.
Barry Silbert had already achieved great success, but he never felt at ease. Bad news hit his ears more often than good news.
Every day was like a war, and he was on the front lines of the war.
Then one day.
The internal phone on his desk rang briefly. A calm female voice was heard over the receiver.
< Silbert. I've compiled the reports from the Grayscale team. >
Barry Silbert sighed inwardly.
The Securities and Exchange Commission's persistent pressure on the operation of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) was nothing new.
And lobbying doesn't work well either.
It became increasingly clear that there was a force within the Securities and Exchange Commission that harbored deep-rooted antipathy toward the entire cryptocurrency industry.
< What's going on today? >
Barry spat out nervously. But unexpectedly, the woman's voice was bright.
< An institutional investor has expressed interest in investing in GBTC. >
< Where? >
< AlphaMind. >
< Where did you say? >
Surprised, Barry jumped up from his seat.
With a small laugh, the same answer was heard.
< AlphaMind. >
Barry looked out the window with an incredulous expression.
AlphaMind was a name rising in the heart of Wall Street, just south of here.
Compared to Wall Street's traditional majors, it may seem like just another common minor management company.
But the reality was different.
CEO Hyun-woo Na himself was a trader who had repeatedly hit hundreds of Jackpots with thorough and aggressive contradictory option bets.
Jackpot in Corona, a great victory in negative oil.
One time can be dismissed as luck.
But shaking the market with hundreds of times the profit in a row was skill.
Moreover, AlphaMind was not just a new Hedge Fund. There were widespread rumors that their network was much deeper and wider than expected.
A pleasant and historic rebellion caused by a junior who was kicked out of Goldman Sachs.
With such a movie-like story intertwined.
CEO Hyun-woo Na and Hedge Fund AlphaMind immediately received market attention.
It is unknown how long this momentum will last, but for now, it had Wall Street's reputation on its back.
Such a Wall Street institution was showing interest in minor Bitcoin.
Barry asked in a noticeably raised voice.
< You contacted AlphaMind? >
< Of course. >
The moment he received confirmation again, Barry's fist clenched powerfully.
"Sloan."
Then, the woman who had been talking on the phone until just now opened the door and revealed herself.
Her dazzling blonde hair was neatly tied up, and she was wearing a beige blouse and a dark navy tight skirt.
She was dressed in a way that exuded restrained sexiness, but she was by no means a person to be remembered only for her appearance.
Her name was Sloan.
She was a lobbyist working for Digital Currency Group.
"That's it! It's AlphaMind, not any other place. You must know who they are."
"To be exact, we can't say 'they'."
"What do you mean?"
"AlphaMind is a one-man system under CEO Hieon-woo."
Barry was speechless at Sloan's absurd answer.
The AlphaMind he knew was a rising force that had made a splendid debut on the major Wall Street stage.
If it was an organization led by Hyun-woo Na, a rebel from Goldman Sachs, he thought it would naturally be supported by a solid team and network.
But all of that originated from one person, Hyun-woo Na.
"Tell me more about that."
"Before that, I don't want to spoil the mood, but I have no choice. CEO Hieon-woo said he wants to start with an investment of $500 million."
Barry's eyes widened for a moment at the unexpected number.
He leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath.
$500 million.
And that was with the proviso that it was just the beginning.
It meant that the investment could be increased as much as possible beyond that.
Barry's heart was warmed by the complex and pleasant imagination of what would happen to the cryptocurrency industry if Wall Street's capital came in so greatly.
"He's thinking of shaking things up. Hieon-woo, that man, is a great gambler as rumored! But what's the problem?"
A look of regret flashed across Sloan's face, whose lips were slightly hardened.
Soon, Sloan's lips opened.
"He made a condition that we must succeed in converting GBTC to an ETF. He said he would never move funds before that."
"...He's testing us. What is it."
Barry was deflated.
"I knew it. I was wondering why that sound wasn't coming out. Hieon-woo is just another Wall Street person after all.
He's making a big noise about throwing $500 million at us, but in the end, he's telling us to overcome the Securities and Exchange Commission."
His tone was mixed with disappointment and sarcasm.
Hyun-woo's attitude of being interested in Bitcoin but trying to use tricks without getting his hands dirty seemed to shatter Barry's expectations in one blow.
Barry stared blankly out the window before turning back to Sloan.
His eyebrows were slightly raised as if he was intrigued.
"But the fact that it's that specific means that it's not just probing. It's different from the old men of Wall Street. What was it like when you talked to him directly?"
"It was the same impression."
It wasn't just Barry.
A bold ambition was also spreading in Sloan's eyes.
Hyun-woo's condition was not just difficult, but virtually impossible.
But one thing was clear.
That was that Hyun-woo Na's AlphaMind was real hot money from Wall Street that would create a new wave in the cryptocurrency industry, which was treated like a nerd.
"Then I'll arrange a meeting."
AlphaMind is a small startup, but regardless of its size, it is a place that monopolizes all the fame of Wall Street.
If such AlphaMind moved, the cryptocurrency industry would no longer be treated as a backwater.
Barry felt energized all over his body just thinking about it and picked up the phone.
At that time.
Sloan, who was about to leave the office, stopped and looked back.
"Separately, I also received a call from Uniswap. They said a program bot called Front-Running MEV has appeared. What is that?"
Bot?
That kind of thing was always happening anyway, and it was also expected.
"It's nothing."
Barry chuckled and waved his hand.
Such an event that occurred on the Ethereum chain was infinitely insignificant and trivial compared to the opportunity that had arrived.
The important thing was Wall Street's hot money!
AlphaMind and the person named Hyun-woo Na, the head of it.