Top 10 Largest Companies in the World 2013

 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

10 Popular Fast Food Chain in America

#1  McDonald's

McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. Sales increased by about 5% last year, the company opened up 71 new locations. 33,000+ outlets worldwide and about 14,098 of it is located in the US states.  Founded on May 15, 1940 in San Bernardino, California, with a $34.2 billion U.S. sales last 2011.

#2 Subway

Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches (subs) and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. (DAI). Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 37,000 restaurants in 100 countries and territories as of June 27, 2012. It is the largest single-brand restaurant chain globally and is the second largest restaurant operator globally after Yum! Brands (over 37,000 locations). Founded on August 28, 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut with a $11.4 billion revenue last 2011.

#3 Starbucks 

Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 19,763 stores in 59 countries, including 12,848 in the United States, 1,264 in Canada, 973 in Japan, 778 in Great Britain, 621 in China, 441 in South Korea, 350 in Mexico and 269 in Taiwan. Founded on March 30, 1971 in Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington. With a $9.75 billion revenue last year.

#4 Wendy's

Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc (now called Wendy's Company) since 2008. As of March 2010, Wendy's was the world's third largest hamburger fast food chain with approximately 6,650 locations, 5,876 are in the US states with a $8.5 billion sales last year.

#5 Burger King

Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain. Founded on July 28, 1953 with 12,400 outlets worldwide in 73 countries, 7,231 locations along are in the US, with a $8.4 billion sales last year.

#6 Taco Bell

Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., they serve a variety of Tex-Mex cuisine foods including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items. Founded on March 21, 1962 in Downey, California. With 5,800 restaurants in the US and a $6.8 billion sales last year.

#7 Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts is an international doughnut and coffee retailer founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincy,Massachusetts, it is now headquartered in Canton. While the company originally focused on doughnuts and other baked goods, over half of its business today is in coffee sales, making it more of a competitor to Starbucks than to more traditional competitors such as Krispy Kreme and Tim Hortons. About 10,000 outlets worldwide (32 countries), 7,015 locations are in the US states. A $5.92 billion revenue last year.

#8 Pizza Hut

Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain founded 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, with an  international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including salad, pasta, buffalo wings,breadsticks, and garlic bread. Pizza Hut is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., the world's largest restaurant company. As of 2012, there were more than 6,000 Pizza Hut restaurants in the United States, and more than 5,139 store locations in 94 other countries and territories around the world. A $5.4 billion revenue last year.

#9 KFC

KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a global chain of fried chicken fast food restaurants with its operational headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky in the United States. It was developed and built by Colonel Harland Sanders, who began selling fried chicken from his roadside restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky from 1930. Sanders was an early pioneer of the restaurant franchise concept, with the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" franchise opening in Utah in 1952. Today KFC has 17,000 outlets worldwide with 4,793  are in the US. With $4.5 billion revenue last year. 

#10 Chick-Fil-A

Chick-fil-A (referring to "filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in the Atlanta suburb of College Park, Georgia,United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's Christian values. Long associated with the Southern United States, where it has been a cultural icon, the chain has expanded. As of April 2012, Chick-fil-A has 1,614 restaurants in 39 states and the District of Columbia, and is focusing future growth in the American Midwest, the Philippines,Mexico, and Southern California. Founded, 1946 in Hapeville, Georgia with a revenue last year of $4.05 billion. 

10 World's Largest Employers

1. Walmart

Walmart is the world's largest retailer with over 9,600 stores in 28 countries.

Employees: 2.1 million*

Revenue per employee: $199,500

Profit per employee: $7,100

2. McDonald's

McDonald's is the world's largest chain of fast food hamburger restaurants. 

Employees: 1.7 million*

Revenue per employee: $14,200

Profit per employee: $2,930

3. Hon Hai Precision Industry | Foxconn

Hon Hai Precision is the parent company of Foxconn Technology, the world's largest electronics manufacturer by revenue.

Employees: 836,000

Revenue per employee: $117,700

Profit per employee: $3,000

4. PetroChina

PetroChina is China's largest oil and gas company with a market cap of $274.3 billion.

Employees: 592,700

Revenue per employee: $390,000

Profit per employee: $37,250

5. Tesco

Tesco is the world's third biggest retailer behind Wal-Mart and Carrefour.

Employees: 492,700

Revenue per employee: $194,000

Profit per employee: $9,000

6. Carrefour

France's Carrefour is Europe's largest retailer, and the world's second-largest retailer after Wal-Mart. 

Employees: 471,750

Revenue per employee: $256,000

Profit per employee: $3,920

7. Deutsche Post DHL

Deutsche Post DHL is Europe's largest mail and express delivery company and one of the world's biggest logistics firms.

Employees: 467,000

Revenue per employee: $148,000

Profit per employee: $8,350

8. Agricultural Bank of China

Agricultural Bank of China, also known as AgBank, is the world's biggest bank by the number of customers, branches and employees.

Employees: 444,440

Revenue per employee: $85,470

Profit per employee: $33,500

9. Compass Group

Compass Group is the world's largest contract food service company with operations in over 50 countries.

Employees: 428,000

Revenue per employee: $53,000

Profit per employee: $2,500

10. IBM

IBM is the world's third biggest technology company by market cap, behind Apple and Microsoft.

Employees: 426,750

Revenue per employee: $234,000

Profit per employee: $34,750

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10 World’s Largest Economies 2010

China Passes Japan as Second-Largest Economy this 2010

In an analysis this past January, John Hawksworth, an economist at PricewaterhouseCoopers, projected that China will surpass the US by 2020 and “is likely to be some way ahead of the US by 2030.”

Emerging economies are smaller than the developed countries - but they are growing faster and opening up, leading to greater investment opportunities than ever before.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or gross domestic income (GDI) is a measure of a country's overall official economic output. It is the market value of all final goods and services officially made within the borders of a country in a year. It is often positively correlated with the standard of living.

Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) is a theory of long-term equilibrium exchange rates based on relative price levels of two countries.

There are two methods of Gross domestic product or GDP calculation:

nominal GDP attempts to compare countries using current exchange rates to give an assessment of their clout within the global market.

Purchasing Power Parity or PPP GDP, on the other hand, tries to take into account that one dollar can buy more in some countries and less in others. It is a better gauge of the internal size of each market.

1.) United States approximate GDP-PPP- $13.86 Trillion

2.) China approximate GDP-PPP- $7.04 Trillion 

3.) Japan approximate GDP-PPP- $4.30 Trillion

4.) India approximate GDP-PPP- $2.96 Trillion

5.) Germany approximate GDP-PPP- $2.83 Trillion

6.) United Kingdom  approximate GDP-PPP- $2.14 Trillion

7.) Russia approximate GDP-PPP- $2.07 Trillion

8.) France approximate GDP-PPP- $2.06 Trillion

9.) Brazil approximate GDP-PPP- $1.83 Trillion

10.) Italy approximate GDP-PPP- $1.80 Trillion

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