These 10 were leading all others as of Jan.
24, 2013, according to YCharts’ market capitalization rankings.
#10: Royal Dutch Shell
Another giant oil
company, Shell has managed to keep making money even as gas prices have risen
and some consumers have moved towards fuel-efficient cars.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $229.36 billion
Royal Dutch Shell
fact: Shell’s Technical Partnership with Scuderia Ferrari has resulted in 12
Drivers’ titles and 10 Constructors’ titles on the Formula One circuit.
IBM
Once known mostly
for its personal computers, IBM has maintained its success by selling
enterprise products.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $230.98 billion
IBM Fact: IBM
recently sold its retail point-of-sale business to Toshiba.
General Electric
GE has attained its
large market cap partly due to the diversity of the company, which has
divisions that make everything from home appliances to products for the defense
industry.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $231.22 billion
General Electric
fact: General Electric has recently introduced a refrigerator that can dispense
hot water.
Microsoft
Microsoft recently
released its Windows 8 operating system, which was a major revamp of the
popular software.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $231.63 billion
Microsoft fact:
Microsoft opened pop-up stores in a number of malls across the country during
the 2012 holiday season to sell its Surface tablet.
Walmart
As the economy has
tanked Walmart has largely been immune to the downturn as its low-price
strategy has resonated with consumers.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $234.59 billion
Walmart fact:
Walmart has more than 10,900 stores in 27 countries, according to its website.
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway
technically appears on the list twice as its two classes of stock are each big
enough to make the list.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $241.27 billion (series A stock), $241.15 billion (series B
stock)
Berkshire Hathaway
fact: Berkshire has bough a number of print newspapers in recent years.
Google
Google has made most
of its money through search, but the company is also experimenting with
driverless cars.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $247.7 billion
Google fact: Google
is developing “smart” glasses. A prototype has been worn by co-founder Sergey
Brin, according to the Los Angeles Times.
PetroChina
China’s biggest oil
producer has benefited from the country’s continued manufacturing growth.
According to the Associated Press, the company could be seen as the most
valuable company in the world if it was based on prices on the isolated
Shanghai stock exchange.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $263.65 billion
PetroChina fact: In
the first three quarters of 2012, crude oil output for PetroChina was 683.2
million barrels, according to the company’s website.
Exxon Mobil
High gas prices may
be tough for consumers, but they have not hurt Exxon Mobil, which continues to
churn out profits for its investors. Considered the biggest investor-owned
energy company in the world, Exxon was the most valuable company between 2005
and fall 2011, when it started going back and forth with Apple.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $418 billion
Exxon fact: Exxon
Mobil recently acquired a 75 percent interest in the Tugela Sotuh Ezploration
Right in South Africa, according to a company-issued press release.
#1: Apple
Apple’s stock fell
2.4 percent Friday, but the company still dominates the smartphone market.
Investors are looking forward to a rumored Apple TV as well as the next iPhone
and iPad.
MARKET
CAPITALIZATION: $413 billion
Apple fact: The
company sold 47.8 million iPhones in the last quarter, according to a
company-issued press release.
Courtesy of: Boston.com
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