Fortune magazine’s Fortune Global 500 said that Exxon Mobil has topped its list of global 500 companies with combined revenue of $18.8 trillion — nearly one-third of the world’s GDP.
Exxon Mobil led over Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which comes in second for the first time in four years.
Five oil companies (Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips), four auto companies (General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota Motor, Ford Motor) and Wal-Mart make up the top 10.
Exxon Mobil had a 26 percent increase in revenue and $36 billion in profits — the biggest payday in the history of the Global 500.
Banks account for one in nine companies on the Fortune Global 500 list as their revenues were up across the board, increasing the group as a whole by 24 percent.
And in a comeback, Apple Computer (No. 492) returned to the Global 500 this year after a nine-year hiatus, with profits up 384 percent to $1.3 billion.
The highest profits reported in the United States following Exxon Mobil were Citigroup with $24.6 billion and Bank of America Corp. with $16.5 billion.
The full list and accompanying stories will appear in the July 24 issue of Fortune, available on newsstands July 17 and online at www.fortune.com.
