Biggest transnational companies

By The Economist online

THE giant American conglomerate General Electric (GE) holds more assets abroad than any other non-financial firm in the world—over $500 billion worth. Its foreign assets make up over 70% of its total. Of the 100 companies with the most foreign assets, 17 hold over 90% of their assets abroad, including ArcelorMittal, Nestlé, Anheuser-Busch InBev and Vodafone. Their share of foreign sales is also substantially larger than GE's. More than half of GE’s 300,000-strong workforce is based outside America; Toyota, which has slightly more employees, only has 38% of its 326,000 workers abroad. The Japanese carmaker is one of only two Asian firms to make it into the top 20 transnational companies by assets; Honda, another carmaker, ranks 19th. Three of the top five firms are oil companies. Exxon Mobil had the largest foreign sales last year at $317 billion, 73% of its total. Transnational firms benefited from the more favourable economic climates in emerging markets, and some developed markets, like America. According to the latest World Investment Report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), production by foreign affiliates increased in 2011: sales rose by 9% to $28 trillion; employment rose by 8% to 69m; and total assets rose from around $75 trillion in the previous two years to $82 trillion. Thanks mainly to economic uncertainty, UNCTAD reckons transnational companies are hoarding some $5 trillion in cash. This could lead to a surge in foreign direct investment. Though firms might instead opt for liquidity, or to pay off debts or pay out dividends to maintain share prices.