Chapter 9: New Positions
October 18, 2000
San Francisco
Autumn arrived quietly in San Francisco.
The mornings were colder now, and a thin layer of fog often covered the streets until late morning. Students walked into Grove High School half-awake, carrying coffee cups and complaining about early classes.
Inside the hallway, Mia was once again fighting with her locker.
"This thing hates me," she muttered.
Anshul walked over calmly.
"You say that every week."
"Because it's true."
She pulled at the locker door, and it finally opened with a loud metallic sound.
"There."
"You defeated it."
"Barely."
She turned toward him and noticed the small notebook in his hand.
"You've been carrying that everywhere lately."
"It's useful."
"Let me see."
She tried to grab it, but he moved it away.
"Private."
"That's suspicious."
"It's research."
"You call everything research."
He smiled slightly.
"That's because it usually is."
---
During lunch break they sat outside again beneath the large oak tree.
Several students nearby were talking about the upcoming basketball game, but Mia seemed more interested in staring at Anshul.
"You stayed up late again."
"How do you know?"
"You look like you did."
"That's impressive detective work."
She pointed at him.
"Markets again?"
"Yes."
"You're addicted."
"That's a strong word."
"But accurate."
He opened his notebook and flipped to a page filled with company names.
Amazon
Apple
Intel
NVIDIA
Mia glanced at the page.
"These are the companies you bought?"
"Yes."
"They don't look very exciting."
"They will be."
"When?"
"Soon enough."
She leaned back against the tree trunk.
"You talk about the future like it's already written."
"Sometimes patterns are predictable."
"That sounds mysterious."
"It's not."
---
That evening the market page slowly loaded on his computer screen again.
NASDAQ Composite
3,276.50
Still unstable.
Still uncertain.
Many investors were afraid that technology stocks would continue falling for years.
But Anshul knew something important.
The biggest winners of the next decade were already visible.
He opened his trading account.
Portfolio Status — October 18, 2000
Starting Capital: $42,800
Investments:
Amazon (AMZN)
Shares: 3,000
Purchase Price: $32.40
Current Price: $34.20
Value: $102,600
Apple (AAPL)
Shares: 2,000
Purchase Price: $25.10
Current Price: $26.30
Value: $52,600
Remaining Cash
$57,900
Total Portfolio Value
$213,100
The growth was slow now.
But that was expected.
The crash had created opportunity.
The next phase required patience.
---
He opened a new trading window.
Company: NVIDIA (NVDA)
Price: $12.70
Shares Purchased: 3,000
Investment Amount: $38,100
Order Confirmed.
Remaining Cash
$19,800
NVIDIA was still a relatively small semiconductor company.
Most investors ignored it.
But in the future, its technology would become essential for graphics processing and advanced computing.
Another piece of the future secured.
---
Later that night Anshul stepped outside onto the small balcony outside his bedroom.
The cool autumn air carried the distant sounds of traffic through the quiet neighborhood.
Next door, Mia was sitting on the steps outside her house.
She noticed him and waved.
"You're still awake."
"So are you."
"I was waiting."
"For what?"
She shrugged.
"To see if you'd come outside."
He leaned against the railing.
"Why?"
"Because you spend too much time staring at computer screens."
"That's part of the job."
"You don't even have a job yet."
"Preparation."
Mia smiled faintly.
"Well, future billionaire…"
"That title again."
"…don't forget that real life exists outside those screens."
He nodded.
"I won't."
But as he returned to his desk later that night, he couldn't help glancing at the glowing numbers on the monitor again.
Because the future was already beginning to take shape.
And every investment he made now was building the foundation of something far bigger.