Andrea Murphy

Japan’s stock market has been on a roller-coaster ride over the past year. Its benchmark Nikkei index reached an all-time high in July 2024, driven by corporate governance reforms and robust company earnings, then crashed more than 25% in less than four weeks on a surprise interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan. Though the index rebounded shortly after, its gains were trimmed in early 2025 as U.S. President Donald Trump ignited his trade war.

Despite media reports with alarming reports of a country divided politically and socio-economically, The United States remains the land of opportunity. Globalization has lifted up the rest of the world for decades, but American dominance on Forbes’ annual Global 2000 list remains unchallenged. There are 612 U.S.-based companies on the list ranking the world’s 2,000 largest public companies, far more than the closest rival in China, which has 317 firms represented.

Seventy Indian companies made it onto the 2025 Global 2000. More than a third of them are from the financial services sector spanning banks, insurance companies and consumer lenders. India’s most profitable private sector bank, HDFC Bank, moved up 12 spots to No. 53 on the global list. It took over the No. 2 position in India from state-run behemoth State Bank of India which stayed put at No.55 globally but slipped to the third position in the country.

The 10th anniversary of Forbes’ list marked another record year for these queens of capitalism, with a 20% jump in billionaires and the highest ever minimum net worth.

We look at sales, profits, assets and market value to compile the 2025 Global 2000.

Forbes’ 14th annual America’s Best Banks list looks at growth, credit quality and profitability to rank the 100 largest (by assets) publicly-traded banks and thrifts from best to worst. Smaller regional and community banks which get most of their revenue from interest income dominate the top half of the list, while multinational banks that generate more income from underwriting and advisory fees were hit the hardest by the economic slowdown. All four trillion-dollar banks lag in the bottom third…

Forbes’ 16th annual America’s Best Banks list looks a the 200 largest publicly-traded banks and thrifts by assets and ranks the top 100.

From Gucci loafers to opera tickets to sailing yachts, here’s how much more expensive it’s gotten to live like the ultrawealthy.

In the stock market’s worst year since 2008, many mid-cap stocks have minimized the damage. The S&P MidCap 400 Index is down 11% this year, not as bad as the S&P 500’s 15% decline or the 18% drop for the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks.

SpaceX soars while X drops. Meanwhile 26 companies including Half-Life game maker Valve debut on Forbes’ newest annual list of the biggest private companies in the U.S.