Top 10 firms gain $4.2T since Iran war began

Global equity markets have delivered a remarkable performance despite — or perhaps because of — the ongoing Middle East conflict. Since the US and Israel launched joint attacks against Iran on February 28, the combined market value of the world’s top 10 firms has soared by 4.183 trillion, or 16.6929.24 trillion as of May 8, according to data compiled by Anadolu.

From March losses to April recovery

Prior to the war, the top 10 companies’ valuations fluctuated. By the end of March, their total market cap had fallen 4.3% (1.077 trillion) to 23.98 trillion. However, as geopolitical tensions appeared to ease and major investment banks issued buy recommendations — particularly in artificial intelligence-related stocks — the total rebounded sharply. By the end of April, the figure climbed to 27.862 trillion, a monthly gain of 16.193.882 trillion). In the first eight days of May alone, another $1.377 trillion was added.

Nvidia leads, Meta the only loser

Nvidia set a new record in April, surpassing 5trillion in market capitalisation despite a 67.8 billion loss in March. Alphabet followed closely at 4.834 trillion, with Apple at 4.309 trillion. Microsoft (3.084 trillion), Amazon (2.933 trillion), Broadcom (2.036 trillion), TSMC (1.89 trillion), Saudi Aramco (1.769 trillion), Tesla (1.609 trillion), and Meta (1.5475 trillion) rounded out the top ten. Meta was the sole firm to lose value, shedding 92.6 billion. Saudi Aramco gained 158 billion, while Tesla added 98.4 billion. Broadcom led percentage gains with a 34.4% surge.