The economic weekly Business Week has published its annual world ranking of the top performing companies in 2004, in order of market value. This classification reveals that: 1) there have been few changes in the leader group: GE, MICROSOFT and EXXON MOBIL remain the three largest companies. GE outstrips the next two, which are very close to each other; 3) The highest-ranked European company is BP, which climbs two places compared to 2003; 4) the second and last European company in the "Top 10" is ROYAL DUTCH/SHELL, which falls from 8th place to 10t. Looking at the whole of the league table: 1) The United States remains the number one industrial and banking power, with 423 companies in the "Top 1000". Eight American businesses, furthermore, can be found in the "Top 10"; 2) the biggest novelty of 2004 is the breakthrough into the 100 first places of the table of large groups from emerging countries such as Korea, Russia and Chine. Top of these are: the Korean SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS (46th place; market value of 71 billion dollars), followed immediately by the Russian GAZPROM (47th; 70.7 bn). These are followed by Hong Kong telephone operator CHINA MOBILE (70th; 56.6 bn); 3) in Europe, the United Kingdom broadly dominates the rankings, with 73 companies on the list, thanks notably to the rise in the value of the pound sterling compared to the dollar, thus increasing the market value of British companies. One of them features in the "Top 10" (BP, 7th). REUTERS is also doing well, rising from 849th place to 566th (market value of 9.57 billion dollars). Switzerland is also well represented in the top rankings. NOVARTIS, in 21st place, is in the lead, with a market value of 125.51 billion dollars. TOTAL is the top French group (23rd; 122.94 bn); 4) two Japanese financial groups turned in remarkable performances: MIZUHO FINANCIAL, which leaps from 636th place to 85th with a market value of 50.01 billion dollars, and UFJ HOLDINGS, in 191st place (compared to 780th last year). Japanese banks have climbed in general, bearing witness to the country's improved economic life; 5) Inversely, the American company TENET HEALTHCARE saw the greatest downturn, falling from 486th place to 966th (5.55 billion dollars). The following classification shows the top ten businesses from the EU: 1) BP (7th; 193.05 billion dollars; UK): 2) ROYAL DUTCH/SHELL (10th; 174.83 billion; NL/UK); 3) HSBC HOLDINGS (13th; 163.09 billion; UK) 4) VODAFONE GROUP (14th; 159.15 billion; UK); 5) GLAXOSMITHKLINE (22nd; 124.05 billion; UK); 6) TOTAL (23rd;122.94 billion; Fr); 7) ROYAL BANK OF SCOTLAND (31st; 94.37 billion; UK); 8) ENI (37th; 82.07 billion; IT); 9) ASTRAZENECA (42nd; 78.36 billion; UK); 10) TELEFÓNICA (45th; 72.08 billion; ESP).