My News Article and Commentary on Global Business and Finance

The purpose of this thread is to inform very quickly where the world stands in terms of business and finance, followed by my own commentary and encouraging reaction and comment from the reader. The information I provide consists of

Biggest Internet Companies

Biggest Companies

Biggest Banks


Biggest Internet Companies

www.dw.com...

#10: Salesforce The San Francisco-based company is a worldwide leader in cloud computing solutions for business. It makes programs available for rent over the internet - a concept also know as "software as a service." Salesforce founder and CEO Marc Benioff calls it "the end of software." Market cap: $57 billion (51 billion euros).

#9: Ant Financial Ant Financial Services Group - formerly known as Alipay - is a subsidiary of China's Alibaba Group. It operates an online payment platform. The company provides online payment services and also sells insurance products. Headquarters is in Hangzhou, China. Market cap: $60 billion.

#8: Baidu Baidu is a Chinese company that operates the search engine of the same name. Alexa internet statistics show Beijing-based Baidu as one of the world's top-five websites. The search engine is frequently accused of playing a role in China's state internet monitoring. Market cap: $62 billion.

#7: Uber Uber operates a website and smartphone app that allows passengers to find a ride, generally private drivers using their own cars. The San Francisco company receives a commission of up to 20 percent of the price. Uber is very controversial due to its use of non-licensed drivers and has faced legal action in numerous countries. Market cap: $63 billion.

#6: Priceline The Priceline Group is a US company based in Norwalk, Connecticut. It operates the online travel portal. It was founded in 1997 and went public two years later. In 2010, Priceline.com was the world's largest search engine for hotel reservations. Priceline also operates travel, car rental and restaurant portals. Market cap: $63 billion.

(Here a huge leap of worth occurs)

#5: Alibaba The internet auction and trading platform Alibaba was founded in 1999 by former English teacher Jack Ma. Six years later, Yahoo took a 40-percent stake in the Hangzhou, China-based company. Alibaba has been traded on the New York Stock Exchange since September 2014. Its 22 billion dollar IPO was one of the largest ever. Market cap: $205 billion.

#4: Tencent The company is legally based in the Cayman Islands (British tax haven), but its main office is in Shenzhen, China. Tencent is involved in social networks, web portals, internet-based telephony, online games, e-commerce and online advertising. Market cap: $206 billion.

#3: Facebook With more than 1.7 billion active monthly users, the empire of founder and multi-billionaire is by far the world's biggest social network. Since it went online in 2004, Facebook has faced criticism, particularly in Europe, about its data protection policies - without any obvious effect on its growth. Market cap: $340 billion.

#2: Amazon The mother of all online retailers is also the largest in terms of sales and market capitalization. Amazon was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos - who still leads the Seattle, Washington-based company today. But the online giant has faced anger, particularly due to its tax avoidance strategies. Market cap: $341 billion.

#1: Google/Alphabet Internet services, e-commerce, online advertising, software development, health, biotechnology, investment - Alphabet Inc. has been the holding company for Google and its former offshoots. The company is based in Mountain View, California, in Silicon Valley. It's headed by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. Market cap: $510 billion.

Biggest Companies

www.telegraph.co.uk...

The Fortune Global 500 top 10 list by annual revenue

WalMart Stores (US) - $485.8bn

State Grid (China) - $315.1bn

Sinopec (China) - $267.5bn

China Natural Petroleum (China) - $262.6bn T

Toyota Motor (Japan) - $254.7bn

Volkswagen (Germany) - $240.2bn

Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands) - $240bn

Berkshire Hathaway (US) - $223.6bn

Apple (US) - $215.6bn

Exxon Mobil (US) - $205bn

Biggest Banks

www.investopedia.com...

1. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China This is the largest bank in the world when measured by assets. It has $3.62 trillion in total assets. The bank’s revenues come in at $134.8 billion. Measured by revenues, this is the fourth largest bank in the world. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

2. China Construction Bank Corp. This is the second Chinese bank on our top 10 list. It offers corporate banking, which deals with credit, company e-banking, credit lines and commercial loans. The personal banking segment offers personal loans, credit cards, deposits and wealth management for individual investors. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

3. Agricultural Bank of China This Beijing bank has branches across China, plus London, Tokyo, New York and Sydney, Australia. Not only is it the third-largest bank on our list, but it is also one of the 10 largest companies in the world. Agricultural Bank of China is state-owned. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

4. Bank of China The Bank of China offers investment banking, insurance and investing services. It also provides personal loans, credit card services, debit cards, mortgages, asset and liability management and insurance. Assets total $2.63 trillion. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

5. HSBC Holdings (HSBC HSBC Hldgs Shs Sponsored American Deposit Receipt Repr 5 Shs HSBC 49.41 +0.39% ) This is a bank based in England. The bank has offices in 80 countries, and has 1,800 locations in the U.K. It provides private banking and consumer finance, along with corporate banking and investment services. HSBC has $2.57 trillion in assets. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

6. JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM JPMorgan Chase & Co JPM 95.51 +0.14% ) This is the first bank on the list that is based in the United States. It is based in New York, but it is a multinational bank. Though it is ranked sixth-largest in the world, it is the largest bank in the United States. It is involved in investment services, asset management, wealth management and securities. Assets total $2.45 trillion. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

7. BNP Paribas This French bank has assets of $2.4 trillion. It has offices in 75 countries, including the United States. This bank was ranked second among banks in the euro zone in 2016. The analyst consensus on the stock of BNP Paribas is a “buy.” The bank is merging its research teams and expects to cut some analyst jobs in 2017. The company announced on April 5, 2017 that it had sold its shares in the Dakota Pipeline. The sale was worth $120 million. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

8. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group This is a Japanese bank that offers consumer banking, as well as business and private banking. This is also an investment bank. It offers asset management and real estate banking. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group has assets worth $2.459 trillion. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

9. Bank of America (BAC Bank of America Corp BAC 25.34 -0.43% ) Bank of America is a U.S. bank that offers services for personal banking, small businesses, mid-sized businesses, and large corporations. It offers investment services in addition to its deposit and checking accounts. The bank has nearly 5,000 retail outlets, with assets topping $2.15 trillion. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

10. Credit Agricole Group This is the second French bank on the list. It has assets of $1.91 trillion. This bank has a history of working with farmers. It is part of a network of 39 French banks. Read more: The World's Top 10 Banks | Investopedia www.investopedia.com... Follow us: Investopedia on Facebook

a reply to: Revolution9

Wow!

Finance wise, China are huge. Although their banks are tied in with the state. Though they have the biggest bank in the world the revenue is only fourth largest. That's to do with the nature of this hybrid economy (half industrial capitalist world trader and half monopolising communist state control of just about everything (ALL the banks even if required). Their weakness is that they must depend on foreign investment now so have to play the diplomatic game with the free world.

China rules the world financially, but if the investors pulled out it would not. China is where everything financial happens now. Why bother with small stock markets these days if you are a billionaire? China is where they play. Everybody is there.

Britain is actually bigger in banking than the U.S in some ways, but the U.S Banks are high rpofile in greater numbers (biiger, volume, bigger population, bigger everything). Britain is where banking got its foothold on the world, through the British Empire, Europe and America. China is the latest greatest. I expect they will finish what Britain started. HSBC are Britain's darling it seems.

The French are in their big time, too. I know why that is. There is still that Rothschild magic happening with the French, British and American banks. I expect the Rothschilds are huge in China now, too. It would not surprise me one bit if it is not the Rothschilds and others who have set China up with banking and financial infrastructure.

Google, the world is yours in terms of online business and all business. You did it. An online business is now the biggest in the world. American and China are huge online. California rules here for sure, though.

Again, China is bound to be the biggest in terms of real time business (combined) if we were to have all figures of all businesses. They are huge. Volume alone will make this so. However Walmart is King of business and the U.S dominates business wise, by a margin in these top companies. Donald Trump is about maintaining and expanding interests in BUSINESS I believe. That is his Presidency, building on the strengths the U.S already has. California is huge in this list.

It's a changing world. The dynamics have all shifted to China. it makes or breaks the world financially now. Look to the East for all analysis of future trends. Gawd, I feel so remedial compared to these guys. The knowledge they have. I am like a blooming infant trying to find out about what they are up to.

a reply to: Revolution9

In regards to the Rothschilds, I suspect China is why they pulled out of the gold market.

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Revolution9

In regards to the Rothschilds, I suspect China is why they pulled out of the gold market.

Well China is where the other kinds of gold can be found. I don't think gold has a future really now that way. Of course it will always be an expensive and rare metal, but is is positively medieval to use it as a/the standard in world finance. May be for old times sake they will still keep it as a kind of figurehead museum piece in the future? Who knows?

The Global Digital Economy is taking over. is very exciting and a bit scary. People must speak up now and insure their voices are heard with their politicians so we do not become invisible. Their investment decisions could potentially have life and death consequences. The machine must still meet the needs of the ghost inside it.

I do notice that they do like to keep us in the dark about all this. It's where the real action is of course.

a reply to: Revolution9

This is exactly why we need the cryptocurrancy forum as suggested a couple of weeks ago.

Business news will probably not be around in a few years if it can last that long

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Hearing you good! Us little minions are like ants now compared to them. Man, they might tread on me just for being under their boot and not even know I was there.

a reply to: Revolution9

For Britain, if the figures the other day I read were right, millenials (Generation Y) may be 15% worse off than their predecessors (Generation X). As an observer of people day to day I would think this is very on the button.

This is a DAMNING INDICTMENT of GLOBALISM and CORPORATE CAPITALISM, from the British perspective (where it all started). I would guess it is more or less the same for the U.S (I see it is at least). I think France has a similar down turn. It is serving one at another's expense. So many are sacrificing so much for so few. Don't get me wrong: I want it to work, but in so many ways it is NOT WORKING for the mass of people. They know this, too, in increasing numbers globally.

There are various explanations. Were Generation Y still benefiting from the lack of competition when Thatcher and Reagan began this exploit; a little bit of that and the tail end of the British Empire and North Sea Oil revenue? The first got the initial goodles. As a millenial I started off life in a terrible recession during the 1980s. For a few years it was well bad. Then some of the lucky ones got on the property ladder. Some got into shares. It has never been a free market for the regular person though. Only "the club" ever got to feature in those "futures" and make the real big money.

People in the UK act as though they have gained the world because they own their own home. It is only assets though. Most have lived a meagre budgeted existence of long work hours year after year and the kids in the pantry constantly.

I would say life is a big bad burden. People are not happy. Our health service is in tatters (they sabotaged it so they can privatise it, frame it as something unworkable). People are trapped by their real estate and work. It's gone cold when it was socially warm before. It is tightly controlled, reduced to skeleton machinery. It is now black and white when it used to be in colour.

I think the free market and globalism works for the top brass, but the little guy has to have less. As they want more and more profit we are gonna be squeezed as tight as a rapist might hold us. Perhaps they will remember us and make sure we are okay, but I get haunted by the Revelation Angel who told us about a days wage being a loaf of bread. Metaphorically is it not like that to some degree already? In UK there are job advisers who have to use food banks now. I read an article the other day about this.

Most people now have forgotten though. They will get themselves in great debt for the latest IPhone and bury their senses in that.

I wonder when they will be wanting to take another 15%? May be they will do that to Generation Z| and we al know what things will look like by then:

a reply to: Revolution9

Great summary of global finance and news - thanks for putting this together Rev ~ still reading through this but wanted to applaud your OP. Thank you

originally posted by: Wide-Eyes
a reply to: Revolution9

This is exactly why we need the cryptocurrancy forum as suggested a couple of weeks ago.

I wish we got more traction with that too..

originally posted by: Revolution9
a reply to: Revolution9

For Britain, if the figures the other day I read were right, millenials (Generation Y) may be 15% worse off than their predecessors (Generation X). As an observer of people day to day I would think this is very on the button.

This is a DAMNING INDICTMENT of GLOBALISM and CORPORATE CAPITALISM, from the British perspective (where it all started). I would guess it is more or less the same for the U.S (I see it is at least). I think France has a similar down turn. It is serving one at another's expense. So many are sacrificing so much for so few. Don't get me wrong: I want it to work, but in so many ways it is NOT WORKING for the mass of people. They know this, too, in increasing numbers globally.

Thanks for the thread, it makes a welcome change.

I dare say the millennial's observation is about right, though I dare say mostly due to the banking disaster, but there was a period of prosperity from the mid 90's right up to the banking crash when things were being done right..and well. Those young ones growing up in that time had an different perspective than any before, and travelled the world more than any before, while many, possibly several million or more, of those born late pre-millennuim were not able to take part in the referendum, which was held a year earlier that it should have, this disadvantaged those young ones politically, so much so, that many just want to leave the UK jurisdiction altogether now...and they understand the socio-economic reasons for doing so..and they are right.
That's a pity that the talent will go elsewhere, something that happened before in the 50',60's even 70's when there was absolutely nothing for them.. now it's happening all over again.

a reply to: Revolution9

I think that the fight against globalization that so many hold to fails to take into account the simple fact that is presented by the information you provided above Rev. Seems to me, that all the ''pushing'' towards globalization that many people fear is not so much a push towards globalization but rather a push towards ''acceptance'' of an already established reality.

a reply to: Revolution9

I wish I could give you a thousand stars for that post. So true...

a reply to: FamCore

Yes, it was your idea. I'd forgotten, sorry. It was a great idea and probably worth a bit more promotion.

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