经典重译之股票大作手回忆录(422)
原文(452):
I can't see that I said anything harrowing,but you could have heard his howls in China.He simply wouldn't listen to such a thing.It would never do.It would play the dickens with the stock's record,to say nothing of inconvenient possibilities at the banks where the stock was held as collateral on loans,and so on.
I told him again that in my judgment nothing in the world could prevent Pete Products from breaking fifteen or twenty points,because the entire market was headed that way,and I once more said it was absurd to expect his stock to be a dazzling exception.But again my talk went for nothing.He insisted that I support the stock.
Here was a shrewd business man,one of the most successful promoters of the day,who had made millions in Wall Street deals and knew much more than the average man about the game of speculation,actually insisting on supporting a stock in an incipient bear market.It was his stock,to be sure,but it was nevertheless bad business.So much so that it went against the grain and I again began to argue with him.But it was no use.He insisted on putting in supporting orders.
Of course when the general market got weak and the decline began in earnest Pete Products went with the rest.Instead of selling I actually bought stock for the insiders' pool—by Prentiss' orders.
The only explanation is that Prentiss did not believe the bear market was right on top of us.
其他版本译文(452):
我不觉得我说的话会让人心痛,可是就算你身在万里之外的中国,也会听到他痛苦的喊叫。他一点儿都听不进去我的话。这肯定是不行的,这样会让这只股票留下非常糟糕的记录,更别提它在银行质押贷款可能造成的那些麻烦了。
我继续对他说:“我觉得世界上不存在什么力量能防止油品公司的股票下跌15或者20个点,因为整个股市都要这样下跌。”我接着对他讲,“如果我希望他的股票会是个让人惊讶的例外,那就太荒谬了。”可我说的话一点儿作用都没起到,他一直坚持让我必须要尽力支撑住这只股票。
我眼前的这个人,是个聪明的商人,以前最成功的股票作手之一,在华尔街股市上赚过几百万美元的人,他对炒股游戏的知晓要比普通人深入得多,可是却在空头市场的初期,坚持要支撑一只股票。当然了,股票是他的没错,可做法确实特别不靠谱。总的来说,这是一件不符合规则的事情。我与他据理力争,可是起不了任何作用,他顽固地让我买进以给予支撑。
在股市大盘疲软、股市真正开始了暴跌的时候,油品公司自然不能例外。只是,我不仅没有卖出,还因为布兰迪的坚持,为他们买进了很多股票。
布兰迪这么做的唯一原因是他不相信空头市场已经来临。
我的译文(452):
我没看出我说的话有什么可令人痛心疾首的,但他根本听不进去,绝对不能这么干,他咆哮着反对,声音那叫一个大,即使远在中国也能听见了。如果这只股票出现如此不堪的行情记录,(这无异于打开了潘多拉魔盒),后患无穷,更棘手的是,该股已经被质押给了多家银行,股价下跌(到一定程度),(银行如果要强行平仓,怎么办?)
我再次跟他讲:照我的判断,Pete Products公司的股价将会破位下跌十五或二十个点,世界上没有任何力量能阻挡它的下跌,因为整个市场都要跌。我又一次告诉他:指望这只股票会一枝独秀,那是妄想。可我的这番话依旧没能打动他,他坚持让我支撑这支股票。
我眼前这个人可是一位精明的生意人,是当时最为成功的(股票)承销商之一。在华尔街,他从交易中获利数百万(美元),对投机的了解远胜于普通人,却执意要在熊市初期,去支撑一支股票。没错,这只股票是他的家当,尽管如此,可它却是一桩糟糕的生意,他如此一意孤行,逆势而为,不合情理啊,于是我再次开始与他争辩,但没用,他坚持要挂出托单护盘。
当大盘走弱并且真的开始下跌时,Pete Products当然也是跟着下跌,而我实际上非但没有卖出,反而在Prentiss的要求下为他们买入了这支股票。
唯一的解释就是:Prentiss不相信熊市已经迫在眉睫了。
引用依据:
1. Edwin Lefèvre: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
2. 《股票大作手回忆录》([美] 埃德温·勒菲弗 著,汤前燕 译)
上一集: