US media reported that Apple sold 10 million iPhones in the opening week, breaking its previous record. Apple is now the second most profitable company by selling highly sophisticated products with high profits. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China is the only company with a higher profit.
According to the data on companies' net income before discontinued operations and extraordinary items for their latest fiscal year, these are the world's 20 most profitable companies.
Among the 20 companies, nine are based in the United States. These include two banks, Wells Fargo (WFC) and JPMorgan Chase (JPM); two energy companies, Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX); and two technology giants, Apple and Microsoft (MSFT). Conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) is also among the most profitable companies.
And six companies on this list are based in China. Each of these companies is majority-owned by the Chinese government. The two Russian companies among the 20 most profitable companies, Gazprom and Rosneft, are also majority state-owned.
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