Three Swiss companies among the 100 most valuable in the world

Nestlé was ranked the most valuable Swiss company © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Three Swiss companies have once again made it into the top 100 most valuable listed companies in the world. However, more than half of the most highly valued large corporations are based in the US.

From a Swiss perspective, it is a familiar picture with three representatives among the “Top 100” listed companies. According to the list compiled by the auditing and consulting firm EY, the food group Nestlé was ranked 26th (previous year 23rd) with a market capitalisation of just over $307 billion (CHF258 billion) as of December 27.

Behind Nestlé are the Basel-based pharmaceutical giants: Roche, with a market capitalisation of a good $233 billion, is in 43rd place (previous year 31st), while its competitor Novartis is in 52nd place with a value of $206 billion (previous year 47th).

Meanwhile, UBS follows behind the three Swiss leaders: following the Credit Suisse takeover, the bank is now in 139th place, up from 235th in the previous year. Its market value amounts to $101 billion.

In a global comparison, Switzerland is in sixth place with a total market capitalisation of the companies represented in the top 100 of around $746 billion. It is led by some distance by the US (almost $26,000 billion). It is followed by Saudi Arabia ($2,138 billion), China ($1,882 billion), France ($1,206 billion) and the UK ($775 billion).

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The undisputed leader: Apple

According to the analysis, the boom in the tech sector has led to a further increase in the dominance of the US: 62 (previous year 61) of the 100 most expensive companies in the world are based in the US. Nine of the ten most expensive companies in the world today are based in the United States.

As in the previous year, the top spot is held by the tech group Apple, which now has a market capitalisation of more than $3 trillion. It is followed by Microsoft ($2.8 trillion) and the Saudi Arabian oil production company Saudi Aramco ($2.1 trillion). According to the list, the most valuable European company is currently the Danish pharmaceutical group Novo Nordisk in 16th place ($460 billion).

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According to the calculations, the total market value of the 100 most expensive listed companies in the world increased by 29% over the course of the year, reaching a new high of just over $36.5 trillion.

“This year, it was primarily the topic of artificial intelligence that fuelled investors’ imagination and thus stock market prices,” said Henrik Ahlers, chairman of the EY management board, commenting on the results. “Companies that are active in this area have become investor favourites.”

Europe remains weak

According to the analysis, Europe’s importance on the world’s stock markets increased slightly at a low level in the year just ended: 19 European companies made it into the top 100, three more than a year earlier. However, in 2007, before the global financial crisis, 46 of the 100 most valuable companies in the world were based in Europe and only 32 in the US.

“Over the past two decades, we have seen a dramatic decline in Europe’s importance, while the US has overtaken Europe,” Ahlers said. The European capital market is currently “far too fragmented” and the hurdles to raising capital via the stock exchange are too high, especially for young, up-and-coming companies, he said.

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