On July 1, Wall Street was buzzing with excitement, and investors were enthusiastic. Everyone following Nasdaq stocks worldwide was full of anticipation! On this day, Nicholas Shopping Network, a pioneer of e-commerce, was set to make history—this day was destined to be legendary!
In June, the number of credit card users on the Visa network exceeded 4 million, with sales at Nicholas Shopping Network surpassing $300 million—setting a record for the fastest sales increase in U.S. history!
Henry, Geely Hutt, and other executives from the company arrived early at Nasdaq to bear witness to the moment Nicholas Shopping Network would officially go public. A pair of cameras followed closely behind, ready to capture everything.
The bell rang: Nicholas Shopping Network was finally listed!
During this IPO, 100 million shares were made available, accounting for 20% of total share capital, with an issuance price of $10 per share. This meant that the market valuation of Nicholas Shopping Network was initially estimated at $5 billion. In an instant, its valuation skyrocketed!
$10.5!
$12.5!
$15.2!
In mere moments, the stock price had surged to $15. Everyone was buying, and the fervor was palpable!
Phones rang off the hook on Wall Street, and the Nasdaq stock electronic screen was continuously refreshing. Every time there was a new update, people erupted in cheers!
Get rich quickly—buy now!
The sooner you invest, the greater your profits!
Nicholas Shopping Network rocketed upward like the latest rocket technology, and no other company's stock price increased as rapidly!
Henry clenched his fist in excitement—let's see it go higher; I have money to burn!
After noon, the stock price of Nicholas Shopping Network climbed to $25. By the end of the trading day, it had risen to $45! The total market value of Nicholas Shopping Network had exceeded $20 billion, reaching as high as $22.5 billion!
The entire world went crazy!
Warren Polly, a senior Wall Street analyst, remarked, "At present, the stock price of Nicholas Shopping Network may seem high. However, I believe it will continue to rise! According to my research, in 1984, the predecessor of the Internet, Arpanet, had less than 10,000 users. After Cisco launched the router in 1985, that number jumped to 50,000! By 1986, the National Science Foundation Network was established, increasing user count to over 300,000. And by 1989, nimble growth had brought the number of users close to 2 million—astounding improvements!"
"Can you even conceive how many users will be online next year?!"
"Within just a few years, we may see users surpassing 10 million or even 100 million! When that happens, the stock price of Nicholas Shopping Network won't look high; it might even be significantly undervalued!"
"The reason shareholders are frantic to acquire shares of Nicholas Shopping Network is largely due to investment potential! In a matter of years, the stock price will undoubtedly multiply several times!"
Warren Polly's insights were widely supported by his colleagues, with many analysts echoing his sentiments!
The following day, the share price of Nicholas Shopping Network continued to soar. By the end of the trading day, the total market valuation was nearing $30 billion!
From this IPO, four billionaires and more than ten millionaires emerged from the ranks of the Nicholas Group!
The four billionaires included Geely Hutt, CEO of Nicholas Group and Nicholas Shopping Network, Chief Technology Officer Tom Wilson, Netscape CEO Jonathan Jackson, and IMDB CEO Marcy Filimon, with holdings of 1%, 0.8%, 0.5%, and 0.5%, respectively.
Nicholas Shopping Network raised over $3 billion from the IPO, enabling Henry to reorganize the company.
First, Henry decided to separate the Global Online website into an independent entity, no longer affiliated with the Nicholas Group, and moved Netscape to be a subsidiary of Global Online! From this point on, Nicholas and Global Online would operate as two distinct businesses. This separation was primarily aimed at enhancing professionalism and cultivating brand recognition.
When one mentions Nicholas, e-commerce springs to mind!
When Global Online is referenced, portals come to mind!
If the two remained together, it would confuse audiences and leave netizens wondering whether Nicholas Group was a portal or an e-commerce company. The split also sought to prevent monopoly lawsuits; if two companies remained under the same corporate umbrella, they would be susceptible to scrutiny. Despite both being controlled by the same person, Henry could strategically point out that the two companies were independent to fend off monopoly litigations.
Despite their new roles, mutual cooperation remained tight-knit.
Whether it was Nicholas paying for advertising on Global Online or engaging in financial transactions, for Henry, it was merely shuffling money between the right hand and the left.
Subsequently, Henry invested $100 million to develop a logistics company, followed by another $400 million to construct a large warehouse!
But that's not all—Henry concluded that to enhance the logistics system, he would also launch a commercial satellite. He did pause to consider that current demand wasn't all that compelling!
Still, future demand would be substantial!
The logistics system would rely on satellites to facilitate management and optimize resources—this was vital for Nicholas's growth!
Isearch's mapping feature would also rely on satellites!
Moreover, there were broadcasting satellites meant for satellite television.
Additionally, there were communication satellites, navigation satellites, weather satellites, etc. Henry planned to delve into various high-tech industries, so having satellites at his disposal would be essential. Rather than funneling resources into external companies, better to manage these assets internally!
Why not set up a space company, develop rockets, and launch satellites?
With plenty of satellites to deploy, he could fund his own space venture, allowing for ample growth while simultaneously exercising technology and collecting valuable data for future improvements. The more effective the company's technology became, naturally, the more contracts would flow in, creating a positive feedback loop!
However, while ambitious, this was not an urgent matter. First, he needed to gather information to inform his space endeavors. The pursuit of top talent would not be confined solely to the U.S.; his efforts would span the globe, prolonging the timeline of these operations. Henry envisioned establishing the world's leading space company, thus ensuring meticulous preparatory work.
With a solid foundation, the company could someday reach soaring heights!
Next up should be the IMDB website's IPO, where they could capitalize on the excitement surrounding Nicholas Shopping Network and secure further profits!