Petrobras and CVRD are two largest companies in Latin America

Brazil has 13 companies among the 25 largest in Latin America, including the first two, Petrobras and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, according to figures disclosed by consultancy company Economatica. The ranking takes into consideration the market value of traded companies at the end of 2007. In 2006, there were 12 Brazilian companies in the list.
According to the consultancy company, Petrobras reached a market value of US$ 242.7 billion in 2007, against US$ 107.7 billion in 2006, an increase of 125.3%. Mining company Vale is evaluated at US$ 154.5 billion, against US$ 68.6 billion last year, 125.4% more. This value makes Vale the largest private traded company in the region, as Petrobras is a state-owned company.
Compared to the 25 largest companies in North America, Petrobras is in the fifth place, losing only to Exxon Mobil, General Electric, Microsoft and AT&T. Vale is in the 18th position.
In the third place in the list of largest Latin-American companies comes the Mexican America Movil, valued at US$ 104.8 billion, followed by Brazilian banks Bradesco (US$ 61.8 billion) and Itaú (US$ 60 billion), by beverage company Ambev (US$ 44.4 billion) and by the Bank of Brazil (US$ 42.5 billion).
According to Economatica, in 2007, banks overtook telecommunications as the sector with the largest number of companies on the list. In 2007 the value of the 25 main Latin-American companies reached US$ 1.072 trillion, against US$ 706.4 billion in 2006, growth of 51.8%.
The remaining companies on the list are the Mexican Telmex (US$ 36.4 billion), Wal Mart de Mexico (US$ 28.6 billion), Brazilian holding Itausa (US$ 27.4 billion), Argentine ironworks Tanaris (US$ 26.2 billion), Chilean oil company Copec (US$ 23.2 billion), Brazilian ironworks Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (US$ 23.1 billion), the Mexican Cemex (US$ 21 billion), the Brazilian ironworks Gerdau (US$ 18.2 billion), Brazilian banks Unibanco (US$ 18 billion) and Santander Brasil (17. 6 billion), Argentine oil company YPF (US$ 17 billion), the Mexican Grupo Mexico (US$ 16.6 billion), Carso Global Telecom (US$ 16 billion) and Grupo Modelo (US$ 15.9 billion), then come Brazilian energy company Eletrobras (US$ 15.1 billion), the Mexican Televisa (US$ 13.8 billion), the São Paulo Stock Exchange (Bovespa – US$ 13.6 billion) and the Mexican Femsa (US$ 13.4 billion).
Bovespa, Grupo Mexico, Santander Brasil and CSN entered the ranking in 2007. The stock exchange opened its capital in the second half of last year and generated the largest financial turnover in one day in the history of the Brazilian financial market, according to Economatica. Brazil is the country with the largest number of companies in the ranking, followed by Mexico, Chile and Argentina.
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