The World’s Largest Companies in 2009
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Beijing, China, 27 August 2009. There is a lot of talk of the balance of power shifting from the West to Asia, but is it really happening? [br]
Beijing, China, 27 August 2009. There is a lot of talk of the balance of power shifting from the West to Asia, but is it really happening? [br]
According to the list of the largest companies in the world in by market capitalization in 2009 – yes it is.
The list was once dominated by American companies, with some Europeans and Japanese for company. Members of the G7 all. But not any more. According to Bloomberg, as of the end of July, four of the seven largest companies are Chinese. Out of the top 12, there are five American companies, four Chinese, two from the UK (including Royal Dutch Shell which is Anglo-Dutch), and one from Brazil. Although there is one less China company than the US contingent, collectively they are larger.
As strong as this showing is, the Chinese companies were even more dominant in 2008. PetroChina, the national oil and gas concern, is still the largest listed company, weighing in at close to $400 billion, despite losing an eye-popping 47 per cent in value year-on-year.[br]
That was the largest loss in the top 12, although China Mobile (at fourth place, with a valuation of $205 billion, has lost 40 per cent of its value) and Royal Dutch Shell (at tenth place, with a valuation of around $180 billion, has lost 39 per cent of its value) are close behind. All of the biggest companies have lost market cap. Wal-Mart Stores (at sixth place, with a valuation of $197 billion, having lost 5 per cent) and China Construction Bank (in seventh, with a $195 billion valuation, down 6 per cent) has lost the least.
Although PetroChina is the largest listed company, many believe that Saudi Aramco, the private national petroleum company of Saudi Arabia, is actually the largest company in the world. This further re-inforces the trend of power flowing away from advanced economies to the developing world. However two members of the BRIC club, Russia and India, are notable for their absence.
In terms of industries, petroleum is the largest in the list of the top companies, providing four of the top 12 and the largest share of equity. This is followed by banking with three companies, FMCG with two, and one each from the telecoms, software and retail industries.
Here is the full table of the world’s largest companies in 2009:
| Company Name | Country | Industry | Market Capitalization (Approx) | % Change on a Year Earlier |
| PetroChina | China | Petroleum | $390 billion | -46.8% |
| Exxon Mobil | US | Petroleum | $345 billion | -30.9% |
| Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | China | Banking | $250 billion | -26.4% |
| China Mobile | China (HK) | Telecoms | $210 billion | -39.9% |
| Microsoft | US | Software | $205 billion | -15.9% |
| Wal-Mart Stores | US | Retail | $198 billion | -4.6% |
| China Construction Bank | China | Banking | 195 billion | -5.6% |
| Johnston & Johnston | US | FMCG, Medical | $172 billion | -11.9% |
| Proctor & Gamble | US | FMCG | $170 billion | -11.3% |
| Royal Dutch Shell | UK & Netherlands | Petroleum | $169 billion | -38.6% |
| HSBC | UK | Banking | $168 billion | -17.8% |
| Petrobras | Brazil | Petroleum | $166 billion | -33.3% |
Bjorn Borgisky, EconomyWatch.com
