THE BEST (AND WORST) OF 1999
DECEMBER 20, 1999 VOL. 154 NO. 24

The Best Business of 1999

Monopoly Power Busted!

Lauren McFalls/AP

Best Intervention Capitalism usually works best when governments stay out of the way, but sometimes competition needs a helping hand. U.S. District Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson's ruling that Microsoft abused its monopoly power will, if nothing else, force Bill Gates to pretend to play fair.
Worst Intervention German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder picked a bad time to rediscover his interventionist roots. His bailout of Philipp Holzmann, Germany's second largest construction firm, was meant to save jobs but will more likely cost them as foreign investors stay away in droves.

Best Trade News After 13 years of talking, as well as some shrewd bargaining by President Jiang Zemin, Beijing and Washington finally agreed on conditions for China's entry into the World Trade Organization.
Worst Trade News Trans-Atlantic tensions ran high as Europe kept in place its ban on U.S. and Canadian beef fattened with growth hormones. Washington hit back with a 100% tariff on some European Union exports. Within the E.U., a cross-Channel food fight ensued when France refused to lift a three-year ban on British beef even after the European Commission declared it free of "mad-cow disease."

ALSO IN TIME

The Best (and Worst) of 1999 What will stick in the collective memory is the best and worst of our own fin de siècle, and 1999 had a bumper crop of winners and some memorable bummers as well • Cybertech • Science • Books • Sports • Design • Music • Cinema • Scandals • Business • People • Environment Macau: Macau's Big Gamble The Portuguese colony's return to China will be a low-key affair. The real fireworks will begin when the new owners try to clean up the joint • Extended Interview: 'We Will Make the Triads Uncomfortable' In his temporary government office, Macau Chief Executive-designate Edmund Ho spoke about the future of the territory with TIME Japan: A Fairy-Tale Ending? After years of waiting, Japan's royal-watchers are thrilled over hints that the Princess may be pregnant

Best Financial News European policymakers had reason to pout as the value of the euro tumbled below the dollar in December. But in Europe's capital markets, corks were popping. The euro-zone bond market, the world's largest at $2.3 trillion, has triggered a mergers-and-acquisitions boom, while the European corporate bond market has grown almost threefold.
Worst Financial News Ecuador managed to annoy everyone when it defaulted on its Brady-bond interest payments. Worse, private investors were told they could no longer count on official creditors like the International Monetary Fund--whom many blame for encouraging the default--to bail them out.

Best P.R. Greenpeace and other activists who descended on Seattle during the World Trade Organization summit managed to convince much of the media that they represent a broad spectrum of global opinion and that they had prevented the WTO from launching a new round of negotiations. In fact, the groups represent narrow and often conflicting interests, while disputes within the WTO itself scuttled efforts to agree on a new trade agenda.
Worst P.R. Monsanto was caught off guard by Europe's opposition to genetically modified foods. The firm acted more like a chemical company than a food giant and failed to convince consumers of the benefits of g.m. products. By late summer, public distrust of what some call "Frankenstein foods" had spread to the U.S.

Best IMF Move Egged on by politicians, pop stars and the Pope, the IMF and the World Bank unveiled a $23 billion plan designed to forgive the debts of the world's poorest countries.
Worst IMF Move U.S. and British regulators investigated allegations that billions of dollars in aid to Russia, including IMF credits, were laundered through Western banks. But despite their evidence, the IMF said its own checking had not uncovered any misuse of its funds, and that it would go ahead with its planned $4.5 billion loan if Russia met the required economic and structural benchmarks.

Best Corporate Remake Renault's effective takeover of Nissan has forced the once-proud Japanese automotive titan to make the production, marketing and cost-cutting moves it should have made on its own a decade ago.
Worst Corporate Remake Korean conglomerate Daewoo's debts exceed its assets by a whopping $21 billion, yet it has resisted demands to shed unproductive units and focus on core strengths.

Best Inflation News The growth of e-commerce, which came of age in 1999, should help keep prices stable for consumers and corporations.

J. Pa Carter/AP

Worst Inflation News After the price of crude oil dropped to around $10 a barrel--the lowest level in real terms since 1972--OPEC producers got their act together and began restricting output. By July the price had more than doubled, raising fears of global inflation.