I'm back in 1990

Chapter 478: Planning Ahead

Summer passed quickly, and in September, undergraduates and newly admitted graduate students arrived at the school to register.

This time, Huang Xiaochuan took in a total of six students, four boys and two girls.

Although three of the students had connections to get in beforehand, they weren't just there to fill the spots. They had all passed Huang Xiaochuan's assessment before being accepted. After all, it was Huang Xiaochuan's first time accepting students, and he was very careful about their qualifications.

After the start of the school year, Huang Xiaochuan called six students to his office.

He first explained the upcoming teaching arrangements to the group, and then he took out several sheets of paper.

He handed several sheets of paper to each of them, saying, "This is a reading list I've compiled for you. Take a look at it yourselves, and come to me anytime if you have any questions."

"Okay, teacher!"

They all agreed in unison.

"Alright, everyone except Feng Ze and Duan Jinglan can leave now."

Qiao Hongbo, along with Yue Dongxue, Xu Tianlei, Kong Hao, and Huang Xiaochuan, said goodbye and left.

Although summer has passed, the lingering heat remains, so the office fans are still running.

After the others left, Huang Xiaochuan looked at his two students. Duan Jinglan was quiet and focused, and had excellent logical thinking skills, which was the main reason why Huang Xiaochuan took her as a student. Another reason was that her family was relatively poor. She was a golden phoenix that had flown out of the mountains. Huang Xiaochuan admired her talent and perseverance.

Feng Ze's family situation was similar to Duan Jinglan's, but this guy was an optimist and full of hope for life. When Huang Xiaochuan first met him, his clothes looked old, but they were clean and tidy, just like him. Huang Xiaochuan had a good impression of him as soon as they met.

Huang Xiaochuan took two small stacks of banknotes from his drawer and pushed them in front of the two students: "Count your wages!"

Feng Ze smiled at Huang Xiaochuan and then picked up the stack of banknotes on the table.

Huang Xiaochuan noticed that his hands were very rough, and there were thick calluses on his palms.

Duan Jinglan didn't immediately grab the stack of banknotes, but instead asked, "Teacher, the supermarket isn't short-staffed. How did you manage to get us in as hourly workers?"

Huang Xiaochuan chuckled: "Old Jiang from Times Supermarket is my senior from university. Arranging two part-time workers is no big deal for him!"

Immediately afterward, Huang Xiaochuan, holding his teacup, asked the two a question: "You two are paid four yuan an hour, which is considered above average in Shanghai." As he spoke, he pulled out a sheet of paper filled with data. "Tell me, what did you observe while working at the supermarket for two months during the summer vacation?"

The office fell silent. Duan Jinglan took an old notebook out of her bag, and Feng Ze followed suit, taking out his own notebook as well.

The two of them took turns recounting the price and supply issues they had encountered during their two months working at the supermarket.

Listening to their accounts, a smile flashed in Huang Xiaochuan's eyes. Overall, he was quite satisfied.

He took the book list back from the two of them and underlined a few titles with a pen.

Don't miss out: Chapter 478: Planning Ahead (Full text available, click here).

"First, read the introductory sections of these books, focusing on Chapter 3 on price elasticity and Chapter 5 on information asymmetry."

The two nodded to indicate that they understood.

After putting down his teacup, Huang Xiaochuan took out two library cards from the drawer: "These are library cards for the city library. You two go once a week to copy down the price data for the first half of this year."

"Okay, teacher!"

After the two left, Huang Xiaochuan checked the time and then made a phone call.

"Come to Shanghai next week; I have some things I need to discuss with you in person."

"knew!"

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Yun couldn't help but look at her two sons. It had been a long time since they had asked her to come to China, and today they were suddenly asking her to come back, which clearly meant that they had something important to talk to her about in person.

Strangely, this man seemed very wary of the phone and never discussed important matters on it.

However, looking at her two sons, Zhang Yun felt a little uneasy.

After hanging up the phone, Huang Xiaochuan's mind was racing.

It's 1998 this year, and in two years the internet bubble will burst.

As a reborn individual, I am naturally aware of this major event. However, in this life, I will use professional methods to conduct an academic analysis of the internet bubble in advance, and then compile a paper to issue a warning.

The main content of the thesis was completed during the summer vacation.

Huang Xiaochuan mainly argues his point by comparing major economic bubble events in history. He also emphasizes the dual nature of technological revolution, pointing out that the long-term benefits of technological innovation do not equate to the rationality of short-term stock prices.

He used the relevant data that Zhang Yun had helped him collect to compare and analyze the anomalies.

For example, the industry average price-to-earnings ratio is 15 times the historical peak, and venture capital concentration is too high, with the top 10 companies receiving 80% of the funding.

Furthermore, based on a summary of information from 382 internet companies listed on Nasdaq, 89% of internet companies have negative free cash flow, and 60% of these companies have revenue growth rates lower than their marketing expense growth rates. In short, they are spending more than they are earning.

All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg. The bubble is about to burst, so Huang Xiaochuan summoned Zhang Yun to prepare for the next step.

After all, most of Huang Xiaochuan's investments in the United States are on the Internet, so a change in one area can have far-reaching consequences.

Huang Xiaochuan asked Zhang Yunlai to talk to her about the possibility of a future internet bubble burst. He needed to get her to accept this conclusion before he could discuss with her how to divest or sell some internet companies with uncertainties.

Huang Xiaochuan also knew that once his paper was published, it would definitely attract the attention of the academic community. With the Internet booming, his untimely warning of a bubble burst was unlikely to be accepted by the mainstream academic community, and some investors would also be dissatisfied.

However, all of this is within my own considerations. As long as the plan is well-planned, it will be another feast. One whale falls and all things are born. That's how the economic world is. There are no companies that last forever, only constantly updated and developed ideas.

Before Zhang Yun returned to China, Wu Duo suddenly came back without calling Huang Xiaochuan and Ding Yi beforehand. According to him, he wanted to give the two of them a surprise.

However, it did indeed surprise Huang Xiaochuan and Ding Yi!

The world depicted by Sijiucai (a pseudonym) can be found in "1990 I'm Back".