Investors responded by sending computer-related stocks into a tailspin. Mr. Ballmer thus deserves not only credit for his attempt to cool down the stock market, at least briefly, but also for his willingness to put his mouth right where his wallet is. On balance, Ballmer was able to show off an accidental correction of the market which would have made Alan Greenspan proud. Our second candidate is Steve Case . The CEO of America Online heads up a company that is, after all, not really much more than a utility company.
Utilities are rather boring businesses.
Thus, he set out to get the maximum out of his company s market value before the generally expected crash. Deflating a virtual bubble In doing so, Steve Case did his part in helping to prick the Internet bubble. That transaction was a powerful signal that has helped, more than anything Alan Greenspan could do, to signal that stock prices were simply too high. Finally, as our third candidate for the Allan Greenspan prize, consider Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson who presides over the cartel case against Microsoft. The district court judge made it clear that he was going to be tough on Microsoft.