1. Renault is merging with Nissan, while the EU banks refinance SE Asia. The Euromultis and the Asiamultis are pulling together as a team at last. 2. Fiscal policy is turning humongously stimulative, all over the world, thanks to Japan's subzero interest rates and the ECB's 0.5 percent rate cut. 3. Halflife's Linux server is in the last stages of beta testing (very important, because the game market leads the consumer market).
Maybe it won't be enough to avert a meltdown when the Bubble bursts. But the above suggests that the new hegemons are at last instituting newly expansive economic policies, and will do very well indeed in the info/tech markets exemplified by the freeware movement. My (euro-denominated) bets are on a long boom in 2000-2025.
-- Dennis