Beyond Apple, The 9 Most Valuable Companies In History
#2 The Mississippi Company in 1720
Value then: 300 million British Pounds
Adjusted to 2012: $6 trillion
The Mississippi Company or the Company of the West was founded in 1684 to facilitate trade with the then-New World. John Law, controller of the French National Bank, was named the Chief Director of this new company, which was granted a trade monopoly of the West Indies and North America by the French government. The company’s stocks shoot up twentyfold, fuelled by the value speculations and an effective marketing scheme.
However, the "bubble" burst at the end of 1720 and the company collapsed. Law was dismissed from his positions and the company was declared bankrupt. He then fled France for Venice.
Also Read: 8 Most Infamous Tech IPO Failures
#1 The Dutch East India Company in 1637
Value then: 78 million Dutch Guilders
Adjusted to 2012: $7.4 trillion
The Dutch East India Company is considered to be the first multinational corporation in the world and the first company to issue stock. It was established as a chartered company in 1602, where it is given the monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia.
The company eclipsed all of its rivals in the Asia trade and enjoyed huge profits from its spice monopoly through most of the 17th century.
However, corruptions in the late 18th century combined with turmoil in the trade made the Company go bankrupt and was formally dissolved in 1800.
