Market capitalization

Apple's lead over Exxon Mobil swells to $35.87 billion

Apple (AAPL) got clobbered Thursday, losing $10.32 (2.5%) to close at $401.82. But it got clobbered less than the rest of the market. Exxon Mobil (XOM), in particular, fell 3.79%.

Bottom line: Apple, whose market capitalization trailed Exxon's by $50 billion three months ago, and which first overtook Exxon six weeks later, is now the world's most valuable public company by $35.87 billion.

Apple zigs while the Dow zags. Hits intraday high of $422.86

When the rest of the market is tanking, the company's shares offer a relatively safe haven

On Monday, when the Dow opened down $250, Apple (AAPL) rose $11.13 (2.78%) to close at a new record $411.63. On Tuesday, Apple opened at $415.35 and hit $422.86 shortly after noon.

UPDATE: Apple closed Tuesday nearly where it started, at $413.45, up $1.82 (.44%) for the day.

To put Monday's close in perspective:

Apple shares were up MORE

The Jobs effect: Apple again overtakes Exxon Mobil

When the market closed, it was once more the world's most valuable public company

When analysts warned that the greatest risk to Apple's (AAPL) share price was Steve Jobs, they assumed that when he stepped down the stock would fall.

So much for that theory.

If the market action Thursday was ambiguous (the stock fell a bit, but less than the major indices), the message Friday was not. Apple rose $9.86 (2.64%) to close MORE

Apple is now worth more than ... the Great Wall of China

With a market cap north of $340 billion, the company invites incongruous comparisons

There's a new parlor game being played on Tumbler called Things Apple Is Worth More Than.

The rules are simple: Take Apple's (AAPL) market cap -- $346.36 billion as of Tuesday's market close -- and find something huge that has a lower value. There are a dozen entries so far on Tumbler. In chronological order:

All 32 Eurozone banks
The Great MORE

How Apple overtook Google, Walmart, Microsoft and Exxon

The closing bell rang Wednesday with Apple's market cap, for the first time, at No. 1 

Apple (AAPL), for now at least, is the world's most valued company by market capitalization (determined by multiplying a company's stock price times number of shares outstanding). Here's how it happened:

It caught up to Google (GOOG) in mid-2009
It overtook Walmart (WMT) in March 2010
It passed Microsoft (MSFT) in May 2010
It caught up to Exxon Mobile MORE

Apple re-overtakes Exxon Mobil

The computer maker is once again the world's most valuable company

As the Dow Jones industrial average plunged another 500-plus points Wednesday, Exxon Mobil (XOM) plunged more than Apple (AAPL) and once again gave up its long-held spot as the No. 1 public company in the world in terms of market capitalization.

When the closing bell rang, Apple closed on top for the first time. The tale of the tape looked like MORE

Apple is (briefly) the world's most valuable public company

The company's market cap vied with Exxon Mobil's in see-saw trading Tuesday

The lead changed hands several times Tuesday as Exxon Mobil (XOM) recovered from early losses and Apple's (AAPL) gains leveled off. By 3:00 p.m, Apple's market capitalization (share price times number of shares outstanding) was more than $5 billion larger than Exxon's, according to Google Finance. As the closing bell approached, however, Exxon surged faster than Apple and retook the MORE

Why isn't Apple AAAA?

Bank of America's market cap hit $70 billion Monday. Apple could buy it with cash.

In the wake of Standard & Poor's downgrade of U.S. government securities -- from AAA to AA+ -- Apple's (AAPL) shares are getting pummeled along with the rest of the market.

But after the subprime mortgage debacle and the debt ceiling circus, it's worth remembering that this is a company whose profits last quarter grew 125% year MORE

Whose ox Apple has gored

When you look at the market caps of its competitors, the picture is pretty clear

UBS's Maynard Um posted two interesting charts in a note to clients Monday.

The first compares the growth in Apple's value since 2007 with its chief competitors in the PC and handset businesses.

Apple's (AAPL) market capitalization (calculated by multiplying its share price by the number of shares outstanding) now stands at $327 billion, making it the world's MORE

Apple's market cap is not gaining on Exxon Mobil's

But then, neither is Microsoft gaining on Apple

As measured by market capitalization (i.e., stock price times number of shares) Apple (AAPL) overtook Microsoft (MSFT) in May 2010 to become the world's most valuable tech company.

Apple still trails Exxon Mobil (XOM), the No. 1 publicly traded company, by more than $90 billion.