Chapter 755 Bond

"It's a pity. If we could have left earlier, we might have been able to go to South Africa to watch the World Cup."

When Tamaran Ecclestone heard that Barron was going to take an intercontinental voyage, she said with a little regret.

Barron was speechless after hearing her words. She might have forgotten that she was still a pregnant woman...

As Tamaran said, this World Cup will be held in South Africa from June 11 to July 11.

However, Tamaran's due date is in early July. How could she go to watch the World Cup with a big belly, especially when she is close to her due date?

Although her pregnancy reaction was not serious during her pregnancy, she would inevitably encounter turbulence during the voyage. I'm afraid her body would definitely not be able to bear it.

That is why Barron chose to start sailing in July, waiting for Tamaran to give birth. Then, depending on her physical condition, he would decide whether to take her along...

What's more, England did not perform particularly well in the South Africa World Cup this time. In the quarter-finals, they met their strong rival Germany and were eliminated by it.

It is worth mentioning that ITV, a subsidiary of SEM Group, has obtained the broadcasting rights of the World Cup in the UK this time, and will broadcast the World Cup live to fans in the UK on their sports channel.

With Sky TV losing the exclusive broadcasting rights of the Premier League, ITV has snatched a lot of viewers from Sky TV in terms of sports channels, especially football, and has become the most watched sports channel in the UK.

Although Murdoch increased his investment in Sky TV after News Corporation completed its acquisition of Sky TV - they were originally only the controlling shareholder of Sky TV, but after giving ITV a chance, it is difficult to return to their previous position.

"It has to be said that the price paid by News Corporation for acquiring Sky TV is lower at this time..."

The reason why Barron said this is that due to the sharp drop in the exchange rate of the pound against the US dollar, the US dollars corresponding to the funds used by News Corporation to acquire Sky TV will be "cheaper" than before.

This is also a problem that many British companies need to face. That is, as the exchange rate of the pound against the US dollar falls, many British companies are more attractive to American companies than before, because they can spend less US dollars to acquire these British companies.

Barron mentioned this to Cameron before. This is not alarmist. According to recent relevant surveys, the number and scale of acquisitions of British companies by American companies have increased month-on-month, which is very obvious.

For this reason, Standard Chartered-Merrill Lynch, which Barron controls, has a special fund in its asset management department to invest in British companies listed on the London Stock Exchange and acquire many of these companies' stocks. On the one hand, it can take advantage of the relatively low price to buy at the bottom, and on the other hand, it can also prevent the stocks of these companies from being acquired by Wall Street capital.

Of course, strictly speaking, is Merrill Lynch a British or American company?

It seems to belong to Standard Chartered-Merrill Lynch Group, headquartered in London, and controlled by the British Duke Barron, but a considerable part of Merrill Lynch Group's funds come from American investors, so it is difficult to tell its specific ownership.

And in fact, the attitude of a considerable part of the British government, including Cameron, is not too opposed to British companies being acquired by American capital - as long as their business still belongs to Britain and they employ British people to operate it, then they can bring tax revenue and employment to Britain.

After all, when these acquisitions are made, there will be corresponding agreements to guarantee future operations and employee issues before the acquisition review is passed.

As for whether this view is correct, it may not be absolute. Just look at the future situation in Britain. After many of their well-known companies were acquired, the entire country's industries have regressed seriously, and there is no trace of the former British Empire.

...

"It will take some time to complete the internal integration..."

During this time, Barron took time to come to Paris and met with Ashley Weber, the manager of William Weber Capital.

Ashley discussed with Barron all the current mergers between Natixis Bank and NM Rothschild Bank. She said:

"After so many things, NM Rothschild Bank has been seriously injured. We hope to be able to integrate NM Rothschild Bank into Natixis Bank while preserving its original strength as much as possible."

At this time, the two of them were having dinner together at Ashley's home.

It can be seen that Ashley prepared this dinner very carefully. Her makeup was exquisite, and her beautiful eyes stared at Barron. The atmosphere suddenly became a little... ambiguous.

"I believe you can do it, Ashley. Just like when I first met you, I knew you would amaze everyone."

Barron's words seemed to have brought back Ashley's memories. She smiled and said:

"At that time, I was just a girl who wanted to prove myself in the family... You know, it is not easy for a woman in our family to hold power."

"You succeeded."

"Success?"

Ashley tasted a mouthful of the soup, she looked up at Barron and said thoughtfully:

"Now it seems that I have succeeded, but how long can such success last? To be honest, I am not too sure."

"What are you worried about?"

"I am very grateful for your support, Your Highness..."

Ever since William Weber Capital stirred up this storm in France, in the eyes of others, Ashley Weber has always been an aggressive and capable woman, but now, under the soft light, the woman in front of Barron showed Her more emotional side...

"But will this support always exist?"

"Of course, as long as our interests are aligned, the bond between us will be unbreakable."

"Is it just a bond of interest? I hope there can be a closer bond..."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to be just a representative of the Weber family in your eyes, but to have another identity..."

Ashley looked at Barron and whispered:

"For example, if we can have a child, then this child will become the closest bond between you and the Weber family."