bestfiction Chapter 695
Chapter 695
His voice was clearly audible in the noisy trading hall filled with the sounds of knocking and people talking.
An assistant reached out quickly and reflexively, accurately grasping the pen on the table, with the tip of the pen lightly touching the paper, and prepared to concentrate on recording every key information conveyed by the trader, for fear of missing any number.
The other assistant, like an arrow shot from a crossbow, was agile and instantly jumped up from his original position, running towards the corresponding stock blackboard at the speed of the wind. His speed was so fast that it seemed to tear the air around him, just to update the trading instructions on the blackboard as soon as possible and seize the market opportunity.
If this is a buy transaction, the assistant will quickly pull out a marker with unique color ink from the special pen holder at his waist. This color is specially selected by the team so that key information can be identified at a glance in this complex ocean of data.
The assistant leaned down slightly, his eyes so focused that it seemed as if the surrounding noise had disappeared. The tip of the pen slowly fell on the paper behind the sales data, and with an extremely cautious gesture, he gently outlined an inconspicuous but meaningful mark.
This mark might be a simple horizontal line, its thickness uniform, as if measured by a precision instrument; or a tiny check mark, its angle precise and accurate, like a carefully drawn geometric figure. But it serves as a silent declaration, signifying that the team has successfully purchased the corresponding number of shares, adding a significant contribution to the company's investment portfolio.
Looking around, every staff member is wearing a conspicuous vest. The vest is made of special material, which reflects slightly under the light and has a unique number printed on it. The numbers are clear and neatly written, and can be seen at a glance whether viewed from a distance or close up.
These numbers are not set randomly, but are carefully planned by experienced trading experts after multiple rounds of discussions.
In this crowded environment with a flood of trading orders, they are like precise keys that allow staff to quickly identify each person's identity amidst the bustling crowd and massive amounts of information.
In the complex and tedious transaction process, these numbers provide indispensable clues for transaction management and tracking.
From the issuance of transaction instructions to the delivery of assets, the number is like an invisible but tough thread that connects all links, helping the entire transaction process to run smoothly and efficiently, ensuring that every transaction can be clearly traced and the responsibilities are clear.
At the same time, the staff responsible for recording sales sits in front of a special recording table. The recording table is specially designed with a reasonable layout to facilitate the operation of various recording tools.
The staff members looked focused, their eyes fixed on the documents in their hands, entering the buyer's name, transaction amount, stock code, transaction time and other information into the system one by one in detail, without allowing any mistakes, to lay a solid data foundation for subsequent transaction review and financial accounting.
The buyer's exclusive number is skillfully and accurately entered into the trading system by the staff. The number of stocks purchased is clearly presented in a rigorous and regular digital format, and the digits after the decimal point are strictly in accordance with the regulations. The transaction price is based on the real-time fluctuations of the ever-changing market and is accurate to the minimum pricing unit specified by the exchange.
The entire recording process, like the operation of a precision instrument, strictly follows the established standard procedures of the exchange.
The staff uses professionally customized recording software to store the key information of each stock transaction, including the identity of the buyer and seller, transaction time, stock code, etc., completely and accurately in a huge database.
This is intended to ensure the fairness and transparency of transactions and provide solid, reliable and traceable data support for subsequent inquiries, reviews and regulatory reviews.
Although current transactions have not yet entered the electronic age, they are still at the relatively primitive stage of manual accounting and paper document circulation. Compared with the convenience and efficiency of later generations where transactions can be completed instantly with just a click of the mouse, they seem quite backward.
But this traditional model is actually deeply rooted in the land of Hong Kong.
Back in 1841, British merchant ships braved the wind and waves and set foot on the emerging land of Hong Kong.
With their keen sense of smell, which is unique to businessmen, they quickly sensed the potential business opportunities in the capital market and took the lead in exploring the stock business.
Initially, transactions were conducted next to simple dock warehouses or in street cafes. Merchants sat together and relied on verbal agreements and simple account book records to pioneer stock trading in Hong Kong.
In the turbulent 1950s and 1960s that followed, Hong Kong experienced changes in colonial rule, turbulence in the global situation, and a difficult economic transformation.
The original economic model based on re-export trade was no longer sustainable. Private capital was groping for a way out in the desperate situation, like bamboo shoots breaking through the ground, showing vigorous vitality.
Businessmen and investors with dreams of wealth gathered from all corners of Hong Kong and started a financial adventure in a narrow, dim and poorly equipped trading place.
In front of them were yellowed paper and pens, and densely packed account books. They used the simplest verbal bidding method to let the noisy sound of transactions echo in the air.
Every transaction is finalized through a handwritten contract. Although these contracts are simple, they carry huge trust and wealth.
In this process, the most primitive form of stock trading, like a seedling taking root in the wind and rain, gradually took shape, laying an indispensable foundation for the future prosperity of Hong Kong's financial system.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than 100 years have passed. Looking at the current stock trading scene, on the surface, the trading method seems to still retain its primitive and simple style, which is a bit outdated and backward.
On the huge blackboard, all kinds of stock information were handwritten by the staff with chalk, stroke by stroke, so densely packed that it was dazzling.
The traders wore slightly worn suits, held paper and pen tightly in their hands, and recorded every transaction attentively, which was very different from the electronic and intelligent trading methods of later generations.
But if you dig deeper, you will find that beneath this seemingly traditional appearance, a relatively complete system of rules has already quietly taken root.
The trading hall was bustling with people. Brokers wearing distinctive costumes stood on high places and shouted loudly. The order sheets in their hands were flying in the air like snowflakes. The scene was bustling with activity.
But a closer look reveals that every step is clearly defined. The rules specify trading times, with the opening and closing bells ringing punctually each day, down to the second. They also set price fluctuation limits to prevent excessive fluctuations in stock prices from causing market chaos. They also detail key elements such as the delivery process.
Relying on the professional qualities accumulated over the years, the staff began learning these rules during their apprenticeship period, mastered them through day-to-day work, and strictly followed the rules to ensure the smooth operation of the entire stock trading market.
From the listing review of stocks, to the quotation and transaction confirmation during the transaction process, to the delivery and settlement of funds and stocks, each link is controlled by strict rules and professional teams. Each process is carried out step by step and progresses in an orderly manner under rigorous operations, so errors rarely occur, laying a solid foundation for the smooth operation of the market.
At present, the stock market here is still in its infancy and is quite small in scale.
There are only a handful of stocks available for trading, less than 50 in total. On the trading screen of the stock exchange, the few stock codes are arranged sparsely, appearing particularly sparse.
There are only more than 10 brokerage companies involved in this. Most of their offices are just cramped small rooms with extremely simple internal facilities. A few tables, chairs and a telephone are all they have to conduct business.
Due to this limitation, the activity of stock trading is like a still pool of water, without any ripples.
Both buyers and sellers seem to be hesitant and cautious, trading enthusiasm is low, trading volume has been hovering at a low level for a long time, and daily trading data is like a calm lake with almost no ripples.
Compared with today's highly developed modern financial market with rapidly changing trading data, this place seems to be still in its infancy. There is a very broad room for development in many aspects such as market scale expansion, improvement of trading mechanisms, and investor cultivation, which urgently need to be deeply explored and developed.
Looking back to last year, 1961, for the trading market in the 60s, this year was like a bright meteor, crossing the vast financial sky and becoming the most active period.
At that time, Hong Kong's economy was booming driven by multiple factors, the manufacturing industry was rising rapidly, foreign trade was increasingly prosperous, a large amount of capital poured into the market, and the trading market also rose accordingly.
The annual transaction volume was like a towering peak, approaching the HK$14 billion mark. Such an astronomical figure was enough to attract attention from all parties and cause countless exclamations in the economic environment at that time.
You have to know that at that time, the overall economic scale of Hong Kong was still in the process of continuous expansion. Such a high transaction volume meant a huge burst of market vitality. Investors, full of enthusiasm and expectations, plunged into stock trading, and the market presented a rare lively scene.
However, if we carefully break down the annual trading data, exclude statutory holidays and weekends, and focus the time dimension precisely on trading days, we will be surprised to find that the daily trading volume does not fluctuate as dramatically as it appears intuitively, but has returned to a relatively stable range.
After rigorous calculations, on average, the transaction volume per trading day is roughly stable at around HK$400 million.
At first glance, this data is indeed not as large as the annual total, which is in the billions, but it is still shockingly huge.
However, it outlines the true pulse of daily market transactions in a more precise and delicate way.
In the stock market trading hall, every day is filled with reports of stock price fluctuations and heated discussions among investors, creating a bustling and noisy scene.
But beneath this appearance, it is this seemingly insignificant average transaction volume data that silently reveals the market's internal stable trading rhythm, like a steady and powerful heartbeat, maintaining the orderly operation of the capital market.
He Yuzhu looked up at the trading seats. There were only about twenty seats in total, and each seat occupied a small area, which seemed a bit crowded.
The seats are arranged neatly and orderly, the tables and chairs are neatly arranged, and the traders are busy at work.
Sometimes they stare at the numbers jumping on the blackboard, their fingers writing quickly on the paper; sometimes they pick up the phone to communicate with customers or partners, their eyes focused and firm. Although the space is limited, it does not affect their concentration on work at all.
At the back of the trader's seat stands a seemingly ordinary wall. But if you look closely, you can see that this wall has a unique design.
The wall is not simply flat, but has delicate textures. Looking closer, those textures seem to hold hidden secrets. Perhaps they are some kind of decorative elements, or perhaps they are inextricably linked to the operation of this exchange.
Several huge windows were carefully carved out on the tall and thick walls of the exchange. The edges of the window frames have been repeatedly polished and carved by craftsmen, and they feel smooth to the touch, without any roughness or flaws.
Through these spacious and bright windows, the bustling trading scene in the exchange can be seen at a glance.
The traders sat in front of the blackboard, their hands rapidly tapping on the paper, their nimble fingers playing an exciting melody on the paper;
Their eyes were fixed on the blackboard, revealing concentration and persistence, as if the whole world was left with only the data constantly jumping on the blackboard.
As the trading data fluctuates, the traders' emotions also fluctuate. They can't hide their excitement when they make a profit, but frown when they suffer a loss. These subtle changes in expression are all seen by people outside the window.
Each window is cleverly divided into independent small rooms. The area of each room is only a few square meters. Although the space seems cramped, the internal layout is orderly.
He Yuzhu and Chen Jiapei were standing in the small space in front of one of the windows at the moment. Next to them was a slightly old table, but the table was wiped clean by the staff and there was not a trace of dust.
On the table, a uniquely shaped black telephone is quietly placed. It is not an ordinary home phone. The lines are hard and straight, the button layout is compact and orderly, and the body exudes a mysterious and professional atmosphere.
This phone is not simple. It is the key link between the outside world and the traders on the floor, like an invisible bridge.
Just pick up the receiver and skillfully press the dial button, and you can instantly connect with the busy traders in the floor and conduct on-site stock trading operations.
This seemingly simple action may cause a small ripple in the ever-changing financial market and trigger subtle changes in stock prices.
Of course, considering that some people are too busy with work to attend the trading in person, or that the distance is too long to travel, the stock exchange has also thoughtfully set up a dedicated radio station.
During the exciting daily trading hours, professional commentators sit in front of the equipment, staring intently at the blackboard, not missing any changes in the data.