The most profitable corporations in the world. The largest companies in the world

Alexander Kaptsov

Reading time: 19 minutes

A A

The company's value is used to judge its success, which is reflected in the ranking of the richest and most respectable companies in the world. From year to year, based on analytical data, it is published by well-known international publications. The list has been headed by large enterprises in the technology and raw materials industries for many years. We present the Top 10 most valuable companies in the world and Russia in 2019.

Rating of the most valuable companies in the world

• Apple

The cost of this most expensive American company, created in 1976, is estimated at 146 billion dollars.

The main activity is the production of electronics and information technology.

Over the past year, sales of Apple products increased by 49%, profits increased by 17%. The company's revenue per minute is about 80 thousand dollars. Free capital exceeds the GDP of 140 countries of the world.

The legendary Steve Jobs, who stood at the origins of Apple, made an invaluable contribution to the development and formation of the brand, thanks to which today the company has millions of fans around the world.

• Google

The value of the corporation in 2018 was $94.1 billion. In just 20 years, Google has been able to turn from a simple search engine into an Internet giant known for its services, applications and You Tube video hosting. The company's profit for the past year increased by 16% and continues to grow.

• Samsung

In the Brand Finance ranking, the South Korean company Samsung takes the honorable 3rd place among the richest companies with a worldwide reputation. Its estimated cost is 83.1 billion dollars. The company is one of the largest manufacturers of personal computers, mobile devices, home appliances and electronics. True, over the past year the company has lost $ 22 billion due to self-exploding mobile devices Galaxy Note 7.

• Amazon

According to Brand Finance, online retailer Amazon rose to 4th place in the ranking in 2018 and its value is 69.6 billion dollars. In 2018, the income of the online trading platform showed the highest growth rates, increasing to $100 billion. The company does not pay dividends to its shareholders, and invests almost all of its profits in business development.

The corporation takes the 5th place in the ranking of the richest companies in the world. Its cost is 67.3 billion dollars. The main direction vector is the production of software, in which the company has thoroughly succeeded. At the origins of the computer giant in 1975 were the then unknown Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Over the past year, smartphone sales have fallen, but profits have increased by 37.1%.

• Verizon

The value of this telecommunications operator company in 2018 approached $63.2 billion, which is why it ranks 6th in the ranking. As an operator, Verizon distributes mobile phone and satellite Internet services in the US and 149 other countries. In 2018, like many other businesses, Verizon saw a 31% drop in profits.

• AT&T

Another major telecom operator, worth $59.8 billion, ranks 7th in the ranking. Since the company's founding year (1885), it has for many years been a monopoly in the provision of local and long-distance communication services in America. Now it is the second largest provider. The number of AT&T customers reaches 150 million people. In 2018, the company completed the Deal of the Year, which resulted in the acquisition of Time Warner media holding for $85 billion.

• walmart

This large retailer is valued at $53.6 billion and is the 8th richest company in the world compiled by Brand Finance analysts. More than 10 thousand retail stores of the company are represented in 26 countries. Thanks to the tireless Sam Walton, who managed to correctly develop the concept of the development of mini and hypermarkets, Walmart was able to achieve stunning success. This is a serious competitor to Amazon.

• China Mobile

Today, the Chinese telecommunications corporation China Mobile, according to experts, is worth 49.8 billion dollars. Although in 2012 the operator was rapidly losing customers due to the fact that there was no communication channel for smartphones. And then its developers put together chipsets that could work in all standards at the same time. After that, the outflow of subscribers stopped. In 2015, the company's net profit decreased by 0.6%, amounting to 65.5 billion dollars. Data for 2018 is not yet available.

• Wells Fargo

In 10th place is the banking holding Wells Fargo, estimated at 44.2 billion dollars. The direction of activity is the provision of diversified financial and insurance services to residents of the USA, Canada, Puerto Rico. After the scandal with the opening of accounts for clients without their knowledge, which was carried out by bank employees to fulfill the sales plan, the holding lost the title of the most expensive in the world. He was fined $185 million.

Russian rating of the most valuable companies in 2019

• PJSC Gazprom

First place in the ranking, as always in recent years, is occupied by the largest transnational oil and gas giant Gazprom, whose value has fallen well below $50 billion. The holding includes about 80 enterprises for oil production and marketing of finished products. Justified reserves of hydrocarbons amount to 1.0 billion tons, which puts Gazprom on the same level with the 20 largest oil producing enterprises with a worldwide reputation.

• OAO NK Rosneft

The second place belongs to one of the large energy companies NK Rosneft, which by the beginning of December 2018 overtook the flagship PJSC Gazprom in terms of capitalization. Its main area of ​​activity is oil and gas production, where there is a positive trend. Over the past few months, the company has outstripped NOVATEK, which specializes in this gas, in terms of gas production.

• OJSC "Sberbank of Russia"

The third place in the list of rich Russian companies belongs by right to the largest commercial bank of the Russian Federation, which has the most extensive network of branches in the country and the CIS. The number of its clients is over 110 million. In the last months of 2018, the financial activities of Sberbank of Russia intensified, which brought an increase in net profit by 2.4 times.

• PJSC Lukoil

Fourth place goes to the large oil and gas producing enterprise "Lukoil" with a full production cycle. It accounts for 2% of world oil production, 16% of Russian production, 1% of hydrocarbon reserves and 5 billion in annual net profit. Since 2001, the company regularly pays dividends to its shareholders.

In just a quarter of a century, the relatively young gas producing company NOVATEK has turned into a powerful and expensive company in Russia, which ranks 5th in the list of the RIA Rating agency. Its share is 11% in the total Russian natural gas production. The company is developing at a significant pace, which affects the increase in revenue. So, for example, net profit for 9 months of 2018 increased by 2.1 times.

• PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel

The key products of the plant are rare earth metals, which are in demand on the world market. In terms of nickel and palladium mining, Norilsk Nickel is generally the leading enterprise.

In 2018, the company's net profit decreased by 13.4%, which amounted to 126.6 billion rubles. Capitalization has reached the level of 26 billion dollars. At the end of the year, Norilsk Nickel will pay dividends at the rate of 444.3 rubles per share, the price of one share is 11,070 rubles.

• OAO Surgutneftegaz

A major Russian oil and gas producing enterprise, which has secured a reputation as a company that is scrupulous about environmental protection and rational use of subsoil resources. However, Surgutneftegaz has recently been plagued by continuous troubles - an explosion on a gas pipeline, the impossibility of paying dividends, which could not but affect its net profit and capitalization. In 2018, the company's loss amounted to 141.9 billion rubles. Foreign investors began to lose interest in the company's securities.

• PJSC "Magnit"

The largest retailer in Russia "Magnit" is located on the 7th line of the rating. Its structure includes a network of retail stores in the "At Home" format and hypermarkets. In November 2018, with the opening of 317 new outlets, their total number reached 13,815 stores.

Revenue of "Magnit" for November grew by 10.3%. The cost of one share was 10,352 rubles, capitalization - 1,078 billion rubles. RUB 8 billion were allocated for the payment of dividends in the first half of 2018.

• PJSC VTB Bank

The ninth place is occupied, inferior in terms of indicators only. Its structure includes 34 subsidiaries. The main shareholder is the state.

The cost of one share is 0.07 rubles, market capitalization is 14.9 billion dollars, net profit is 34.1 billion rubles.

• PJSC Gazprom Neft

Completes the Top 10 Russian companies PJSC Gazprom Neft, a controlling stake, which was acquired in 2005 by Gazprom. This is the first company to start developing the Arctic shelf for oil production.

This year, for the first time since the financial crisis of 2008-2009, the number of Russian companies in the list of the 500 largest in the world has decreased to five - the list includes Gazprom (26), LUKOIL (43), Rosneft (46), Sberbank (177), VTB (443 ). None of the domestic companies entered the top 20. Here's who entered:

20. AXA

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 16
• Revenue:$161.2 billion (2014: $165.9 billion)
• Profit:$6.7 billion (2014: $5.6 billion)

10 Glencore

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 10
• Revenue:$221.1 billion (2014: $232.7 billion)
• Profit:$2.3 billion (2014: loss - $7.4 billion)

Glencore (LSE: Glencore) is back in profit despite a $7.4 billion loss last year following the acquisition of Xstrata. However, sales fell 5% under pressure from commodity prices.

9.Toyota

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 9
• Revenue:$247.7 billion (2014: $256.5 billion)
• Profit:$19.8 billion (2014: $18.2 billion)

8.Volkswagen

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 8
• Revenue:$268.6 billion (2014: $261.5 billion)
• Profit:$14.6 billion (2014: $12.1 billion)

Volkswagen (XETRA: Volkswagen) is the world's most profitable automaker and the only non-energy company in the top 10. The German auto giant has benefited from growth in sales in the Asia-Pacific region.

7 State Grid

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 7
• Revenue:$339.4 billion (2014: $333.4 billion)
• Profit:$9.8 billion (2014: $8 billion)

China's largest state-owned electric power company has been strengthening its position in the international market for several years, but does not forget about the domestic one. Last year it announced plans to spend $65 billion a year over five years to modernize the national network.

Almost everything you buy in stores is produced by 10 multinational corporations. Mars or Snickers, Sprite or Fanta, Jakobs or Maxwell - whatever you choose, the profit will go to one hand.

For example, Unilever makes everything from Dove soap to Klondike chocolate. In turn, Nestle owns shares of L'Oreal, which offers not only cosmetics, but also Diesel jeans.

Despite the wide range of brands, in the end, all sales revenues end up in the hands of ten giant enterprises.

Kraft Foods

The company was founded in 1903 by James Craft. It is currently the second largest packaged food corporation in the world. Sells products in 155 countries around the world. In Russia, the company produces chocolate under the trademarks Alpen Gold, Milka, Vozdushny, Toblerone; chocolates "Wonderful Evening" and Cote d'Or; coffee Carte Noire, Jacobs and Maxwell House; Estrella potato chips.

Nestlé S.A.

The world's leading food producer. The company boasts one of the largest annual turnovers. In Russia, it produces a wide range of food products under the brands Nescafé, KitKat, Nesquik, EXTREME, Russia is a Generous Soul, Bon Pari, Nuts, Golden Mark, Maggi, Perrier, Friskies, Felix, Purina ONE, Gourmet, Darling.

Procter & Gamble

The world's leading consumer goods market and the world's largest advertiser, with annual advertising spending in excess of $8 billion. The main brands of the company: detergents and cleaning products Fairy, Tide, Ariel, Mif, Ace, Mr. Clean, Lenor, Comet, Mr. property; Pampers diapers; feminine hygiene products Always, Tampax, Discreet; hair care products Wash & Go, Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Shamtu; body care products and perfumes Camay, Old Spice, Hugo Boss, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and more.

Johnson & Johnson

Produces cosmetics, sanitary and hygienic goods, medical equipment. The corporation includes more than 230 subsidiaries. Johnson & Johnson produces a wide range of medicines, body care products under brands such as Acuvue, Doctor Mom, Imodium, O.B., Penaten, Vizin and more.

Unilever

One of the leading manufacturers of household chemicals, food products and perfumes. The following trademarks (brands) owned by Unilever are represented in Russia: Lipton, Beseda, Knorr, Rama, Baltimore, Inmarko, Rexona, Axe and many others.

Mars Inc.

Each of us encounters Mars products every day. The following goods are produced in Russia: M&M's, Snickers, Mars, Dove, Milky Way, Skittles, Twix, Bounty, Celebrations, Starburst, Rondo, Tunes, Pedigree, Whiskas, Kitekat, Chappi, Royal Canin, Uncle Ben's, Dolmio, Juicy Fruit, chocolates A. Korkunov.

Kellogg's

One of the largest producers of breakfast cereals and instant food products. Kellogg's trademarks are little known in Russia. For example: Kellogg's, Keebler, Cheez-It, Murray, Austin, Famous Amos.

General Mills Inc.

One of the world's largest corporations. Engaged in the production of food, toys, clothing and owns an extensive network of restaurants. Generall Mills brands such as Green Giant (canned corn, peas, beans and tomatoes), Häagen-Daz premium ice cream and Nature Valley muesli bars are represented on the Russian market.

Formally, the corporation was founded not so long ago, in 1965, through the merger of The Pepsi Cola Company and Frito Lay. In Russia, the company sells products under the following trademarks: 7up, Mountain Dew, Mirinda, Aqua Minerale, Russkiy Dar, Ya, J-7, Tonus, Fruit Garden, Favorite, Tropicana, Lay's, Cheetos, Xpycteam, Adrenaline Rush, House in the Village, Agusha, Imunele, Miracle, Essentuki.

Coca Cola

The world's largest manufacturer of syrups, concentrates and soft drinks. One of the largest companies in the USA. Sells its products in more than 200 countries. In Russia it is represented by the following trademarks: Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, Powerade, Schweppes, Dobry, Rich, Bon Aqua, Burn.

20. AXA

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 16
• Revenue: $161.2 billion (2014: $165.9 billion)
• Profit: $6.7 billion (2014: $5.6 billion)

19 Exor Group

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 24
• Revenue: $162.2 billion (2014: $165.9 billion)
• Profit: $428M (2014: $2.8B)

18.ICBC

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 25
• Revenue: $163.2 billion (2014: $148.8 billion)
• Profit: $44.7 billion (2014: $42.7 billion)

17. Daimler

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 20
• Revenue: $172.3 billion (2014: $156.6 billion)
• Profit: $9.2 billion (2014: $9 billion)

16. McKesson

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 29
• Revenue: $181.2 billion (2014: $138 billion)
• Profit: $1.5 billion (2014: $1.3 billion)

15. Apple

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 15
• Revenue: $182.8 billion (2014: $170.1 billion)
• Profit: $39.5 billion (2014: $37 billion)

14 Berkshire Hathaway

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 14
• Revenue: $194.7 billion (2014: $182.2 billion)
• Profit: $19.9 billion (2014: $19.5 billion)

13.Samsung

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 13
• Revenue: $195.8 billion (2014: $209 billion)
• Profit: $21.9 billion (2014: $27.2 billion)

12 Chevron

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 12
• Revenue: $203.8 billion (2014: $220.4 billion)
• Profit: $19.2 billion (2014: $21.4 billion)

11. Total

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 11
• Revenue: $212 billion (2014: $227.9 billion)
• Profit: $4.2 billion (2014: $11.2 billion)

10 Glencore

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 10
• Revenue: $221.1 billion (2014: $232.7 billion)
• Profit: $2.3 billion (2014: loss - $7.4 billion)

9.Toyota

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 9
• Revenue: $247.7 billion (2014: $256.5 billion)
• Profit: $19.8 billion (2014: $18.2 billion)

8.Volkswagen

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 8
• Revenue: $268.6 billion (2014: $261.5 billion)
• Profit: $14.6 billion (2014: $12.1 billion)

7 State Grid

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 7
• Revenue: $339.4 billion (2014: $333.4 billion)
• Profit: $9.8 billion (2014: $8 billion)

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 6
• Revenue: $358.7 billion (2014: $396.2 billion)
• Profit: $3.8 billion (2014: $23.5 billion)

5 Exxon Mobil

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 5
• Revenue: $382.6 billion (2014: $407.7 billion)
• Profit: $32.5 billion (2014: $32.6 billion)

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 4
• Revenue: $428.6 billion (2014: $432 billion)
• Profit: $16.4 billion (2014: $18.5 billion)

3.Shell

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 2
• Revenue: $431.3 billion (2014: $459.36 billion)
• Profit: $14.9 billion (2014: $16.4 billion)

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 3
• Revenue: $446.8 billion (2014: $457.2 billion)
• Profit: $5.2 billion (2014: $8.9 billion)

• Place in the ranking of 2014: 1
• Revenue: $485.7 billion (2014: $476.3 billion)
• Profit: $16.4 billion (2014: $16 billion)

Business as such is the pursuit of success. Nobody starts their own business in order to burn out, everyone wants to become the most successful as well.

However, most often, this is just a certain image, a cherished dream - few people study the experience of really large corporations, because they do not believe that they will reach this level.

We believe that the dream should have a clear outline - then it will be easier to achieve.

To do this, we publish the most valuable companies in the world in the form of a rating. More precisely, in the format of a "battle of ratings": consider the two most famous success ratings of companies in the world, Forbes Top-100 and Fortune Global 500.

Both describe the most valuable companies in the world, but the places in them do not match. Moreover, some companies are on one list and not on the other.

How so? Is it really so difficult to determine which corporation is the largest and which is not? Now let's figure it out.

The most valuable companies in the world: the battle of giants

Wisdom in this case does not concern the companies themselves, but those who keep the calculations. In other words, it is a matter of assessment methodology.

Some believe that the most expensive companies in the world are those whose capitalization (value of assets) on the stock exchange is the highest.

Others argue that when identifying the most valuable companies in the world, you need to pay attention to the real amount of revenue, and not to stock indicators (which are the result of broker speculation).

Simply put, the first approach is formal (how much a company is worth on the stock exchange, it occupies such a place in the world), and the second is applied (how much net revenue the company received per year - it is placed in such a position).

The first method is used by the well-known Forbes magazine in its Top 100, and the second one is used by the equally famous Fortune in the similar Global 500.

The first among economic observers is considered more superficial and "pop" (designed for a mass audience of non-specialists), and the Global 500 is more solid, but not completely objective. Why - we will describe further.

The most valuable companies in the world according to Forbes methodology

The Top 100 is just the tip of the iceberg, as its official name is Global 2000. This means that the list contains 2,000 valuable companies from all over the world.

Since it is impossible to cover such a volume of information, the Top 100 or even the Top 10 are most often published. Those below the Top 10 are rarely talked about because they are no longer considered favorites.

Further, we will not get into the methodological jungle, but will simply focus on the key difference between this rating (or a group of ratings showing the largest companies in the world) from similar studies of Forbes competitors.

Please note: all such publications make ratings only for public companies - those whose shares after the audit are sold on stock exchanges. Non-public (state, for example) remain outside the lists, although they may be no less successful.

If all state corporations from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar or Saudi Arabia passed an IPO (audit for admission to trading on the stock exchange), they would certainly take leading positions in the ratings, but so far they are not in the top ten.

In fact, Forbes has a lot of ratings - there are also for Qatar with the UAE, and for other countries. There are, for example, the Top 100 “largest companies in Russia” (and in general any large country that has its own edition of the publication), there are the Top 100 world brands, etc.

The largest companies in the world in terms of branding

By and large, the brand rating is also the rating of the largest companies, but the emphasis there is not so much on applied financial indicators (revenue, profitability), but on the market assessment of the most important “property” of the company - its name.

And its brand is equal to the value of all the assets of the company.

In other words, the opinion that Forbes considers very superficially is not entirely true. It's just that he focuses on public indicators, primarily on the assessments of stock exchanges.

This is not surprising, since its main readership in the United States is (including stock exchanges).

The most valuable companies in the world according to Fortune

Fortune, like Forbes, specializes in ratings.

Not every publication will be able to allocate a considerable staff exclusively for the analysis of financial statistics from around the world!

However, despite a lot of similarities, the desire to determine the most expensive companies in the world, etc., the difference between Fortune and Forbes is palpable.

If the second one is more focused on those who want to become an investor (in other words, become rich), then the first one is more aimed at those who are already rich, and they need information about managing their wealth.

PS. It is noteworthy that one of the meanings of the word "Fortune" is "state".

Since they have a different target audience, the results are different:

• Forbes pays more attention to general indicators, brands, business attractiveness, from the point of view of stockbrokers.
• Fortune, on the other hand, deals with applied issues of doing business, including large ones (the most expensive companies in the world are undoubtedly big businesses), among which the revenue indicator is of the greatest importance for it.

Indeed, if a company registers billions of dollars worth of intellectual property, like Oracle or even Google, but their real earnings are not the highest, then how can they be at the top of the world?

That is why Fortune is always in the lead by representatives of trade or the real sector, oilmen who receive "live" money, and not conditional capital in the form of know-how, which does not yet generate income.

The most valuable companies in the world: Fortune Global 500

It is more detailed than Forbes, but the latter makes a lot of ratings on related topics, so let's start with the simpler one.

It is also simpler because, on the one hand, it is more focused on applied business, and not on stock investors, and on the other hand, the main principle applies here: the one who earns more is better.

Forbes likes to evaluate the brand separately, assets separately, profit separately, and even divided by country ... We will further understand all this.

But in Fortune they decided not to bother, and make their entire rating based on real (confirmed) revenue. No nuances to you with assets, etc.

Yes, of course, not everything is so simple in our world... But many people like this approach, because the company should be worth adequately the profit it brings, and not some mythical brand.

Many will not agree with this (in the same Forbes, for example), but we will give their arguments below.

1) TOP 10 expensive companies according to Fortune.

Even the list of leaders almost does not converge - you will see later for yourself.

At the top of the world "Olympus" among the most expensive corporations in the world, according to this version, is a network of American supermarkets Walmart with $482 billion in revenue.

Indeed, how can you compete in terms of revenue with retail chains?

There, a huge number of transactions are made per day, although this business is still considered not the most profitable due to low margins on the product group of goods - the most popular group.

The second most expensive company in the world suddenly became little known in our latitudes State Grid with $329.6 billion.

This is a sensation this year, because this company, firstly, is Chinese, secondly, it was not even included in the Top 5 before, and thirdly, it is engaged in alternative energy (solar panels, electric windmills, etc.).

For the first time in the history of calculations, a manufacturer of alternative energy outperformed oil and gas giants in terms of revenue.

Yes, most of the company's income comes from traditional power generation, but the precedent is still interesting.

State Grid beat the former leaders "outright" - the third place is occupied by China National Petroleum ($299 billion), and the fifth Royal Dutch Shell ($272 billion).

By the way, for the first time, the Chinese oil company outperformed its “expensive” Western competitors, reaching the 3rd place in the ranking, which contains the most expensive companies in the world.

Being distracted by the oil industry, we missed the fourth line of the rating - the Chinese Sinopec Group with $294 billion in revenue.

This company, by the way, also works in the field of hydrocarbons, but does not extract them, but processes them.

As you can see, the Top 5 has already been tightly “occupied” by Chinese corporations: 3 out of 5.

2) Another TOP-5 expensive companies in the world according to Fortune.

Those commodity giants that were at the top for years, today continue to lose ground.

So, once a world leader Exxon Mobil dropped to the 6th line of the “expensive” rating with an indicator of $246 billion.

Another competitor in the oil market - BP (British Petroleum)– slipped to 10th place with $225 billion.

They are on the heels of the world leader in the production of luxury gadgets Apple($233 billion), ranked ninth.

3) We compare world leaders with the States.

It is interesting to quickly compare this with the American disposition - what places do world leaders occupy there.

Why USA? Because for decades they have dominated the Top 10 of all ratings that determine the most expensive companies in the world.

Now they have been pouring down from Olympus even in the studies of their own American publications.

*500 most valuable companies on the world map.

Both in the world and in the USA, in terms of revenue, the leader is wal mart.

The oil and gas sector, according to the editors of the publication, is still on the march, although we note that the real net revenues of all oil companies have seriously dipped this year.

Next we see the investment Berkshire Hathaway($210 billion) and consulting McKesson ($181 billion).

They are followed by a pair of American insurance giants UnitedHealth Group ($157 billion) and CVS Health ($153 billion).

Automobile giants General Motors ($152 billion) and Ford Motor ($149 billion) occupied the 8th and 9th places.

Rounding out the top ten AT&T ($146 billion).

Ranking Conclusions: Fortune believes in China and alternative energy

The most important thing is the world economic situation. Thanks to the ratings, we can see the development of entire industries in dynamics, which means we can choose the most promising business sectors for ourselves.

So, despite the resistance, even the conservative Fortune admitted that the oil and gas sector on the world stage is no longer particularly impressive.

The sharp growth immediately to the second place of the electricity generating company from China proves this.

However, oil companies are still strong in the US local market and do not intend to give up their positions.

Just as importantly, tech manufacturing companies like Apple have begun to catch up.

Even more importantly, cash flows began to flow even faster to Asia, because among the Top 5, which contains the most expensive companies in the world, the Chinese “took” 3 lines at once.

Americans, who previously received almost 10 out of 10 seats, are now limited to 3 positions, which can simply be called a global financial revolution.

The most valuable companies in the world: Forbes

After the conservative Fortune, it is worth moving on to the more inert Forbes rating.

Then, that everything is known in contrast. Without comparison, you will never understand how good or bad things are in your country.

TOP 10 most valuable companies in the world according to the compilers of the Forbes Global 2000 rating

This significant event takes place on March 31 - that is, the current financial year for corporations is just about to end, but a fresh rating has not yet been compiled.

Therefore, the most relevant data is not yet available, although the leaders are unlikely to leave the Top 10 - unless the places are shuffled among themselves.

The first three from China according to Forbes

It is characteristic that all three most expensive companies in the world according to Forbes are banks, and state-owned ones:

Their profile is investing in various large projects:

• CBC finances to other banks;
• CCB - to infrastructure projects;
• ABC - in agricultural.

Many people who are far from the world economic situation may be surprised: “How is it that the Americans have always been in the first place?”.

In fact, cash flows are gradually shifting to Asia.

This process began back in the 1970s, when the price of oil began to rise rapidly, and the Arab countries benefited from this. Then, after effective reforms, China came to the fore.

At the same time, the growth in the well-being of the Chinese does not stop, already approaching the level of the EU countries (especially in such large cities as Shanghai or Beijing), which directly affects the revenue of Chinese companies.

Just imagine that you need to build a road in Russia - 1 km of a two-lane road will cost about $1,500,000.
Now suppose that a road of the same length is needed for Beijing, where 22,000,000 people live.
And the roadway they have is not 2 lanes, but 6, 8 or even 10 +, the Chinese are building not 1 km each, but hundreds of kilometers at once and throughout the country.
Under all this, you need to find state funding (state-owned banks manage this), find contractors, etc.

The same is true in the agricultural sector - to feed 1 billion Chinese, you need a lot of food.

For a bank that issues loans for agricultural needs, this is a real "gold mine". That is why these three state-owned banks took the first lines of the rating.

It should be noted that they are state-owned, but public - their shares are listed on stock exchanges, audits are regularly carried out, etc. That is, everything has been done so that they do not work as government agencies, but as a full-fledged corporate business.

Suffice it to say that 3 state-owned banks have assets worth more than 6 trillion dollars under their control.

The scope is impressive. A simple businessman (even a super-successful entrepreneur) is hardly enough for one human life to reach such a scale.

By the way, they are also joined by the Bank of China - number 6 in the ranking, which lists the most expensive companies in the world, but we will not dwell on it in detail. We only note that its revenue amounted to 122 billion dollars, capitalization - 143 billion dollars, and assets are estimated at 2.5 trillion dollars.

American pursuers from the TOP-5 most expensive companies in the world

For a long time, it was the United States of America that reigned supreme on the global financial Olympus, and all the most expensive companies in the world were American. Now they are only 4-5 places.

Both of these companies are similar, but the first one has a more serious scale of activity: these are financial giants that invest all over the world.

In other words, they buy assets (companies, land, real estate) in order to sell them at a better price after some time. It turns out that money makes other money.

On paper, Buffett's corporation is the most valuable public company in the world, as Berkshire Hathaway reported $210.8 billion in revenue with a market capitalization of $360 billion. This is more than that of Chinese corporations, but there is one thing: the net profit indicator.

Due to the instability of the global economy, it is becoming more and more difficult to make forecasts. Because of this, the riskiness of investments increases, many of them bring losses instead of profits.

All this had a bad effect even on the American giants, who showed “only” $24 and $21 billion, respectively.

In comparison, even the Bank of China, ranked 6th, posted a net profit of $27 billion, not to mention the leader of the ICBC rating with a figure of $44 billion (that is, more than the top 5 US companies combined). ).

The second top five according to Forbes

We have already mentioned the Bank of China, so we will not dwell on it.

Eighth place in the list was taken by the first "product" company - Apple. "Product" - I mean one that is not engaged in speculation in the financial market, but in the production of real products, has its own production for the production of its own finished product, etc.

Apple reported $233 billion in revenue from a $586 billion capitalization.

Interestingly, the company's net profit is $53 billion.

That is, it is by all indicators the largest in the world. But this is only at first glance. The fact is that the compilers of the rating also take into account the price of assets.

In this aspect, it is very difficult for any manufacturing company to compete with investment groups, whose business, in fact, comes down to buying and reselling valuable assets, steamboat factories. Apple has "only" $293 billion in assets.

followed by the oil giant ExxonMobil(formally - the United States, but it is a transnational corporation - in the States they only have a main office) with revenues of $ 237 billion and a market value of $ 363 billion.

Note that over the past couple of years, the value of all oil and raw materials companies has slumped due to the collapse in black gold prices.

Russian companies also shared this fate, but more on them later.

The last in the top ten, which contains the most expensive companies in the world, is the Japanese auto corporation Toyota Motor with revenue of $235 billion and capitalization of $177 billion. This is the first non-American and non-Chinese company in this ranking.

In addition to the Japanese, the British holding also broke into the top twenty, where the “best” are collected. HSBC(14th place, $70 billion in revenue, $133 billion capitalization), and a South Korean corporation Samsung Electronics(18th place, $177 billion in revenue, $161 billion in capitalization).

Conclusion on the rating of expensive companies according to Forbes

What can a small aspiring entrepreneur learn from this ranking?

First, money makes other money, even bigger money.

Of the 10 most valuable companies in the world according to Forbes, 7 places are occupied by financial groups that earn on investing.

Production companies occupy 8th and 10th places, and the only oil producing company in the Top 10 is in the penultimate 9th place.

Is it good or bad?

This is nothing - it just proves the basic principles of the capitalist way of life: it is better to be a smart investor than directly a producer.

From the point of view of state development, investing in itself is not the best choice, because it produces a “virtual” product - profit from speculation, which you cannot feed, shoe, etc. This product cannot be “touched”.

However, in the long run, this is very justified - the United States and the renewed China are an example of this.

There is no need for a large staff and equipment, no need for a bunch of permits, etc. But you must already have some capital.

In this case, you can remember someone's aptly thrown phrase: “in the United States, every third resident invests his family capital in business, and in post-Soviet countries, 3% of residents control 97% of the capital”.

One more conclusion: transnational corporations will soon become more influential than the leading states of the world.

For comparison, Russia's budget for 2016 was drawn up in the amount of 13.5 trillion rubles, or about $245 billion at the exchange rate current at the time the budget was adopted. The 2016 budget in the US is almost $3.9 trillion.

Of course, it is not entirely correct to compare the country's estimate with assets, but it is very exciting and revealing.

And the third conclusion: the commodity sector is going through hard times.

This has been known since the crisis of 2008, but only now it has manifested itself as strongly as possible. Especially in the oil and gas industry.

What is the most expensive brand on the planet?

We believe that a brand is just a tag or a name on a wrapper.

In Western countries, it is believed that this is a valuable asset that must be cherished and cherished, since a damaged brand will not bring profit.

But a good reliable brand allows you to make a huge margin, bring more profit and be the key to the stability of the company. Therefore, in the West, brands have a special attitude.

*Examples of umbrella brands that combine a lot of smaller ones - most of them are named after the founders of the companies.

By the way, about the difference in mentalities - in Old Europe and the USA it is customary to call their companies their first or last name, because you can’t put your last name on a bad product.
Otherwise, choking on low-quality sausage, it will be your last name that will be remembered “not with an evil quiet word”.
A kind of quality standard at the level of mentality.

TOP 10 expensive brands in the world: Americans on the march

If in the Global 2000 rating the Chinese giants were able to impose a fight on the United States, then in terms of the brands of the Celestial Empire, the West is still far away.

Including, in comparison with the countries of Europe, which Chinese entrepreneurs actually left far behind the "Top 10 most expensive companies in the world."

In the first place among them, of course, Apple, whose brand was valued at $154 billion.

Following by a wide margin is Google with an indicator of 82.5 billion dollars.

The second five starts the first non-American brand - Toyota(Japan) - with an indicator of 42 billion dollars.

Closes the top ten is also American General Electric with a $36 billion brand. Note that Samsung from South Korea has such an indicator, but the compilers of the rating decided to leave it outside the “Top 10 Most Expensive Brands”.

What gives us the knowledge of the most expensive brand?

This area, on the one hand, is very conservative (people tend to treat everything new with caution, because there are no Chinese nouveaux riches there). On the other hand, it follows world trends and fashion.

General Electric went public back in 1896. Since then, the expensive brand has not left the leaders.

But even 15 years ago, no one had heard of any Facebook, and now its brand is valued at $52 billion (almost a quarter of the Russian budget).

Thus, we can safely say that you need to build your business not just as a way to generate income, but as a single system.
Even the name and the general "background" should be special, unique, not like everyone else.
In the long run, this will work for you. Unless, of course, the quality of your services and products will match the brand.

After all, who should you look up to if not them?

The most expensive companies in Russia from Forbes

This is important because it is closer to our reality. What are those Americans over the hill, we have to work here - in the realities of the CIS.

Why only private?

Because everything seems to be predictable in the public sector: the leaders, as always, are Rosneft, Gazprom, Sberbank, etc. True, this year Gazprom lost the palm to another company for the first time in the last 10-15 years.

But on the other hand, Rosneft, also a state-owned raw materials company, came out on top. So structurally, little has changed.

But the private sector is another matter.

Yes, the leaders here also do not change every day, but at least it is more realistic.

You understand that they are not owned by some Warren Buffett, but by a guy from a neighboring city. Even if he is no longer just a “guy”, but a whole “oligarch”, but this does not change the essence - this way the dream of becoming successful in business will be more evident.

So from choosing the most expensive company in the world, let's move on to the most expensive.

Here are the TOP-10 in the form of a table for ease of perception:

What does the TOP 10 most expensive companies in Russia tell us?

Comparing the most expensive companies in the world and Russia, you need to look at the root: where they are registered and in what area they work.

Most of the world leaders in the Top 10 are based in the US or China.

The majority of Russians are in Russia, but only the majority. VimpelCom, for example, is registered in Amsterdam, where it pays major corporate taxes, just as Evraz is registered in London.

And among those who are registered in the Russian Federation, many have owners among offshore companies.

This is done not so much out of a desire to avoid taxation at Russian rates, but out of distrust in the judicial system, corruption, and so on.

That is, in the United States, everyone continues to strive for the “American dream” of a prosperous state, while from Russia (as well as Ukraine, Belarus and others) they are trying to take their business abroad. At least formally.

And this is the first negative from the comparison of analytics.

*Top-5 private companies in Russia.

Second: among the most expensive companies in the world, according to Forbes, there is one oil and gas, two production and seven investment groups. But among the most expensive Russian companies there is not a single investment company, not a single production company (which produces the final technological product, not raw materials).

In fact, all the leaders are either commodity companies or trading companies. Only "Amsterdam" "VimpelCom" from the sphere of telecommunications stands apart - the most technologically advanced among the expensive companies listed in the top.

This suggests that all these areas are waiting in the wings in Russia - niches are free. You just need to come up with your own innovative product and bring it to the Top.

In practice, this is very difficult to do. But, as they say, only the one who does not play never wins.

Now compare most valuable companies in the world with Russian examples, and answer the question: how does the Russian market situation meet global challenges? Let's leave the question rhetorical.

Empty niches speak of prospects - sooner or later someone will take them. Could it be you?