《股票作手回忆录·第六章·旧金山地震·做空联合太平洋》第14节
I said I’d wait, and bought five hundred shares more of UP. I couldn’t imagine what Harding could have to say to me. I didn’t think it was anything about business. My margin was more than ample for what I was buying. Pretty soon the manager came and told me that Mr. Harding wanted me on the long-distance telephone. “Hello, Ed,” I said. But he said, “What the devil’s the matter with you? Are you crazy?” “Are you?” I said. “What are you doing?” he asked. “What do you mean?” “Buying all that stock.” “Why, isn’t my margin all right?” “It isn’t a case of margin, but of being a plain sucker.” “I don’t get you.” “Why are you buying all that Union Pacific?” “It’s going up,” I said. “Going up, hell! Don’t you know that the insiders are feeding it out to you? You’re just about the easiest mark up there. You’d have more fun losing it on the ponies. Don’t let them kid you.” “Nobody is kidding me,” I told him. “I haven’t talked to a soul about it.” But he came back at me: “You can’t expect a miracle to save you every time you plunge into that stock. Get out while you’ve still got a chance,” he said. “It’s a crime to be long of that stock at this level--when these highbinders are shoveling it out by the ton.”
注释摘要
这段文字发生在萨拉托加温泉，一个在1900年代以赛马和赌博闻名的度假胜地。当时上流社会的经纪商喜欢在这种地方开设分部，不是为了执行什么严肃的交易，更多的是一种高档的广告牌——让有钱的度假者能顺便逛逛办公室，看看行情，聊聊股票，顺手做几笔买卖。哈丁兄弟公司在这里的分部正是如此，经理的任务是和气生财，而不是管理复杂的投资账户。在这个场景中，拉里一边度假，一边习…