Huge public companies still prospered this past year despite wild swings between market uncertainty and volatility, punctuated by unexpected political outcomes.
The 2017 Global 2000 is bigger and more valuable in the aggregate than last year's list, with higher sales, profits, assets and market values. The list as a whole is significantly more valuable from the year prior, with aggregate market capitalization up 10%. Here's how we crunched the numbers.
Despite slowing GDP figures, China and the U.S., whose companies make up more than 40% of the list, continue to dominate the top 10 list with financial giants including #1 Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and #4 JPMorgan Chase. China’s two-year stronghold of the top 3 spots was disrupted this year with Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway snagging the third spot, another signal that U.S. companies didn’t suffer terribly from market uncertainty that defined the year, as Berkshire owns many other American staple stocks.
Despite a slowing of the global IPO market, several newly-public companies debuted on this year's list. The biggest newcomer at No. 55 is Postal Savings Bank of China. The September 2016 IPO was the year’s largest, worth $8.1 billion. In the U.S., the most high-profile company to enter the list was Snap Inc. The company’s $24 billion market cap helped earn a spot at No. 1693.
U.S. companies account for the most members of the list, 565, followed by China and Hong Kong, which is home to 263 Global 2000 companies. The world’s biggest companies have gotten bigger, more profitable and more valuable in the past year. 58 countries were represented, down from last year's 62 with Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Romania and Malta no longer boasting companies on the list.
It wasn’t a good year for energy companies that fought against rock-bottom petroleum prices. Exxon Mobil fell 4 spots to #13, PetroChina fell off the top 10 to #102, and Chevron slipped to#359 from last year's #28 position.
Some major names absent from the list were either acquired by another company or performed poorly and ranked under the #2000 position. Notable drop-offs include SABMiller, which was acquired by #126 Anheuser-Busch InBev. Western Digital bought #1266 SanDisk and Marriot acquired Starwood Hotels & Resorts which was #1214 last year.
Chipotle, which suffered a terrible stock price after their food poisoned customers, also fell off the list. Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Corporation, #1198 last year, got knocked off too.
Edited by: Halah Touryalai and Corinne Jurney
Reporters: Antoine Gara, Lauren Gensler, Maggie McGrath, Kristin Stoller, Ashlea Ebeling, Grace L. Williams, Corinne Jurney
Data: Andrea Murphy
Art: Merrilee Barton
For more coverage of the FORBES Global 2000 ranking of the world’s largest public companies, see below:
Global 2000: The Largest Companies In China In 2017
America's Top Public Companies In 2017: A Buffett Buy List
2017 Global 2000: These Are The Largest Companies In Russia
Here's How Much Of Russia's Biggest Banks And Drillers The Kremlin Owns
Europe's Largest Companies 2017: Shell Doubles Profit, Takes Top Spot
World's Largest Banks In 2017: The American Bull Market Returns
World's Biggest Hotels 2017: Marriott Leads The Pack, Hilton Falls
World's Largest Telecom Companies: AT&T And Verizon Top China Mobile
2017 Global 2000: The World's Largest Transportation Companies
2017 Global 2000: The World's Largest Insurers
World's Largest Retailers 2017: Amazon & Alibaba Are Closing In On Wal-Mart
World's Largest Oil And Gas Companies 2017: Exxon Reigns Supreme, While Chevron Slips
World's Largest Food And Beverage Companies 2017: Nestle, Pepsi And Coca-Cola Dominate The Field
Once Again, Christian Dior, Nike & Inditex Top World's Largest Apparel Companies
World's Largest Restaurant Companies, 2017: McDonald's Slips While Darden Makes Gains
The World's Largest Tech Companies 2017: Apple And Samsung Lead, Facebook Rises