World's Gloomiest Countries

No. 1 - JAPAN > Grade: minus-85
No. 2 - SPAIN > Grade: minus-65
No. 3 - THAILAND > Grade: minus-63
No. 4 - FRANCE > Grade: minus-60
No. 5 - BELGIUM > Grade: minus-58
No. 6 - ARGENTINA > Grade: minus-57
No. 7 - TAIWAN > Grade: minus-50
No. 8 - IRELAND > Grade: minus-50
No. 9 - HONG KONG > Grade: minus-49
No. 10 - BRITAIN > Grade: minus-47
No. 11 - ITALY > Grade: minus-45
No. 12 - SWEDEN > Grade: minus-40
No. 13 - FINLAND > Grade: minus-40
No. 14 - NETHERLANDS > Grade: minus-37
No. 15 - U.S. > Grade: minus-34
No. 16 - Greece > Grade: minus-34
No. 17 - DENMARK > Grade: minus-34
No. 18 - TURKEY > Grade: minus-24
No. 19 - CHILE > Grade: minus-24
No. 20 - NEW ZEALAND > Grade: minus-15

http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/01/0126_business_expectations/index.htm

Best Countries for Business

R	Name	GDP Growth (%)	GDP / Capita ($)	Trade Balance ($bil)	Pop (mil)	Un Emp (%)
1	Denmark	1.7	37,400	4.7	5.5	3.5
2	Ireland	5.3	45,600	-12.6	4.2	5.0
3	Finland	4.4	35,500	11.2	5.2	6.9
4	United States	2.2	46,000	-747.1	303.8	4.6
5	United Kingdom	2.9	35,300	-111.0	60.9	5.4
6	Sweden	3.4	36,900	30.2	9.0	4.5
7	Canada	2.7	38,200	28.5	33.2	5.9
8	Singapore	7.5	48,900	41.4	4.6	1.7
9	Hong Kong	5.8	42,000	19.9	7.0	4.2
10	Estonia	7.3	21,800	-3.1	1.3	5.2
10	Switzerland	2.6	39,800	67.9	7.6	3.1
12	New Zealand	3.0	27,300	-10.0	4.2	3.5
13	Australia	4.0	37,500	-51.0	20.6	4.4
14	Netherlands	3.5	38,600	59.3	16.6	4.1
15	Norway	4.9	55,600	55.8	4.6	2.4
16	Israel	5.1	28,800	5.9	7.1	7.6
17	Iceland	1.8	39,400	-3.4	0.3	1.0
18	Belgium	2.7	36,500	11.0	10.4	7.6
19	Chile	5.2	14,400	8.2	16.5	7.0
20	Portugal	1.9	21,800	-18.5	10.7	8.0
21	Germany	2.6	34,400	185.1	82.4	8.4
22	Luxembourg	5.0	80,800	11.3	0.5	4.4
23	Austria	3.3	39,000	12.6	8.2	4.3
24	Japan	1.9	33,800	195.9	127.3	4.0
25	France	1.8	33,800	-35.9	64.1	8.0

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/6/biz_bizcountries08_Best-Countries-for-Business_Rank.html

Best of the Best Places to Live 2008

1: Plymouth, Minnesota
Population: 70,100
Median home price: $288,950
Average property tax (2006): $4,526
Pros: Reasonable home prices; good schools; quick drive the nation's biggest mall
Cons: Very cold winters

2. Fort Collins, Colorado
Population: 129,400
Median home price: $207,739
Average property tax (2006): $1,675
Pros: Bike lanes; Old Town historic district; brand-new cancer center
Cons: Overcrowded schools

3. Naperville, Illinois
Population: 142,900
Median home price: $369,000
Average property tax (2006): $6,402
Pros: Close to Chicago; public library ranked the best in the nation among small cities; walkable downtown area
Cons: High property taxes

4. Irvine, California
Population: 193,900
Median home price: $650,000
Average property tax (2006): $5,053
Pros: School district has won national recognition; more than 16,000 acres of green space
Cons: Very pricey homes

5. Franklin Township, New Jersey
Population: 59,100
Median home price: $319,000
Average property tax (2006): $7,648
Pros: Plenty of jobs in the area; Princeton and Rutgers Universities nearby
Cons: High property taxes


6. Norman, Oklahoma
Population: 102,800
Median home price: $133,500
Average property tax (2006): $1,095
Pros: University of Oklahoma; affordable housing
Cons: Gotta love that football -- schools close for games against rival University of Texas

7. Round Rock, Texas
Population: 92,300
Median home price: $193,931
Average property tax (2006): $3,854
Pros: Affordable housing; excellent schools; minor league baseball team
Cons: Can you take the heat?

8. Columbia/Ellicott City, Maryland
Population: 97,500
Median home price: $355,000
Average property taxes (2006): $3,208
Pros: Historic Main Street lined with antique shops and teahouses; 950-acre nature preserve; three lakes
Cons: Traffic can be a headache

9. Overland Park, Kansas
Population: 166,700
Median home price: $233,887
Average property taxes (2006): $3,345
Pros: Lots of green space; schools among best in nation
Cons: Flat terrain and grid layout don't provide much visual drama

10. Fishers, Indiana
Population: 61,800
Median home price: $200,830
Average property taxes (2006): $2,218
Pros: Strong economy; low home prices; good schools
Cons: A walkable downtown is still in the planning stages

http://www.walletpop.com/mortgages/best-places-to-live
http://www.walletpop.com/specials/best-of-the-best

The Global Companies 2000

Rank	Company	Country	Industry	Sales ($bil)	Profits ($bil)	Assets ($bil)	Market Value ($bil)
1	HSBC Holdings	United Kingdom	Banking	146.50	19.13	2,348.98	180.81
2	General Electric	United States	Conglomerates	172.74	22.21	795.34	330.93
3	Bank of America	United States	Banking	119.19	14.98	1,715.75	176.53
4	JPMorgan Chase	United States	Banking	116.35	15.37	1,562.15	136.88
5	ExxonMobil	United States	Oil & Gas Operations	358.60	40.61	242.08	465.51
6	Royal Dutch Shell	Netherlands	Oil & Gas Operations	355.78	31.33	266.22	221.09
7	BP	United Kingdom	Oil & Gas Operations	281.03	20.60	236.08	204.94
8	Toyota Motor	Japan	Consumer Durables	203.80	13.99	276.38	175.08
9	ING Group	Netherlands	Insurance	197.93	12.65	1,932.15	75.78
10	Berkshire Hathaway	United States	Diversified Financials	118.25	13.21	273.16	216.65
10	Royal Bank of Scotland	United Kingdom	Banking	108.45	14.62	3,807.51	76.64
12	AT&T	United States	Telecommunications Services	118.93	11.95	275.64	210.22
13	BNP Paribas	France	Banking	116.16	10.71	2,494.41	81.90
14	Allianz	Germany	Insurance	139.12	10.90	1,547.48	80.30
15	Total	France	Oil & Gas Operations	199.74	19.24	165.75	181.80
16	Wal-Mart Stores	United States	Retailing	378.80	12.73	163.38	198.60
17	Chevron	United States	Oil & Gas Operations	203.97	18.69	148.79	179.97
18	American Intl Group	United States	Insurance	110.06	6.20	1,060.51	118.20
19	Gazprom	Russia	Oil & Gas Operations	81.76	23.30	201.72	306.79
20	AXA Group	France	Insurance	151.70	7.75	1,064.67	70.33
21	Banco Santander	Spain	Banking	72.26	10.02	1,332.72	113.27
22	ConocoPhillips	United States	Oil & Gas Operations	171.50	11.89	177.76	129.15
23	Goldman Sachs Group	United States	Diversified Financials	87.97	11.60	1,119.80	67.16
24	Citigroup	United States	Banking	159.23	3.62	2,187.63	123.44
25	Barclays	United Kingdom	Banking	79.70	8.76	2,432.34	62.43
26	EDF Group	France	Utilities	81.60	7.69	271.66	170.81
27	E.ON	Germany	Utilities	94.04	9.86	200.84	126.22
28	ENI	Italy	Oil & Gas Operations	119.27	13.70	128.15	127.38
29	Petrobras-Petróleo Brasil	Brazil	Oil & Gas Operations	87.52	11.04	129.98	236.67
30	PetroChina	China	Oil & Gas Operations	88.24	18.21	111.70	546.14
31	Procter & Gamble	United States	Household & Personal Products	79.74	11.13	144.40	203.67
32	Deutsche Bank	Germany	Diversified Financials	95.50	7.45	1,485.58	56.27
33	UniCredit Group	Italy	Banking	63.67	7.19	1,077.21	77.46
34	Telefónica	Spain	Telecommunications Services	82.40	13.00	143.13	138.42
35	Mitsubishi UFJ Financial	Japan	Banking	49.49	7.50	1,591.56	98.14
36	Volkswagen Group	Germany	Consumer Durables	149.00	5.64	210.88	90.23
37	IBM	United States	Software & Services	98.79	10.42	120.43	157.62
38	ArcelorMittal	Luxembourg	Materials	105.22	10.37	133.65	108.82
38	Daimler	Germany	Consumer Durables	145.11	5.82	199.77	85.16
40	BBVA-Banco Bilbao Vizcaya	Spain	Banking	54.34	8.94	733.14	78.29
41	Wells Fargo	United States	Banking	53.59	8.06	575.44	96.37
42	ICBC	China	Banking	37.48	6.31	961.65	289.57
43	Credit Suisse Group	Switzerland	Diversified Financials	83.72	7.53	1,194.75	50.85
44	HBOS	United Kingdom	Banking	100.32	8.10	1,336.17	44.84
45	Crédit Agricole	France	Banking	101.59	6.49	1,662.60	45.73
45	Nestlé	Switzerland	Food Drink & Tobacco	94.76	9.38	99.06	188.11
47	Fortis	Netherlands	Diversified Financials	121.19	5.46	1,020.98	49.04
48	Verizon Communications	United States	Telecommunications Services	93.47	5.65	186.96	104.27
49	France Telecom	France	Telecommunications Services	77.31	9.20	137.09	87.89
50	Siemens	Germany	Conglomerates	103.20	5.42	126.72	118.47
50	Wachovia	United States	Banking	55.53	6.31	782.90	60.69
52	Sinopec-China Petroleum	China	Oil & Gas Operations	133.79	6.90	77.44	186.38
53	Hewlett-Packard	United States	Technology Hardware & Equip	107.67	7.85	88.57	122.04
54	Lloyds TSB Group	United Kingdom	Banking	58.74	6.53	701.08	50.95
55	Royal Bank of Canada	Canada	Banking	43.57	5.77	629.96	64.41
56	Bank of China	China	Banking	31.13	5.49	679.57	171.45
57	Pfizer	United States	Drugs & Biotechnology	48.42	8.14	115.27	152.17
58	Johnson & Johnson	United States	Drugs & Biotechnology	61.10	10.58	80.95	175.51
59	Samsung Electronics	South Korea	Semiconductors	92.26	8.56	87.49	87.84
60	StatoilHydro	Norway	Oil & Gas Operations	89.00	7.52	89.16	98.36
61	Generali Group	Italy	Insurance	102.16	3.17	486.43	60.79
62	CCB-China Construction Bank	China	Banking	29.16	5.93	697.44	126.55
63	Microsoft	United States	Software & Services	57.90	16.96	67.34	253.15
64	Suez Group	France	Utilities	64.96	5.37	114.89	83.56
65	Zurich Financial Services	Switzerland	Insurance	55.05	5.63	387.67	45.76
66	Nippon Telegraph & Tel	Japan	Telecommunications Services	91.57	4.06	149.71	60.27
67	Sanofi-aventis	France	Drugs & Biotechnology	40.95	7.68	104.98	101.17
68	Honda Motor	Japan	Consumer Durables	94.35	5.04	101.82	56.82
69	Nokia	Finland	Technology Hardware & Equip	74.54	10.52	52.62	145.66
70	Munich Re	Germany	Insurance	67.57	5.63	306.03	37.34
71	Mizuho Financial	Japan	Banking	32.52	5.28	1,272.17	48.80
72	Novartis	Switzerland	Drugs & Biotechnology	40.22	12.62	71.89	111.62
73	MetLife	United States	Insurance	53.01	4.32	558.56	41.32
74	Roche Holding	Switzerland	Drugs & Biotechnology	40.65	8.60	67.72	169.32
75	Morgan Stanley	United States	Diversified Financials	85.33	2.56	1,045.41	46.53
76	Vale	Brazil	Materials	33.23	10.26	74.70	161.39
77	Rio Tinto	United Kingdom/Australia	Materials	29.70	7.31	100.81	165.48
78	China Mobile	Hong Kong/China	Telecommunications Services	37.06	8.29	62.44	308.59
79	GlaxoSmithKline	United Kingdom	Drugs & Biotechnology	45.07	10.35	57.16	120.05
80	BASF	Germany	Chemicals	84.60	5.93	67.33	60.96
81	RWE Group	Germany	Utilities	56.17	3.64	119.50	68.19
82	Sumitomo Mitsui Financial	Japan	Banking	33.04	3.76	850.75	56.10
83	BHP Billiton	Australia/United Kingdom	Materials	39.50	13.42	53.36	190.62
84	Time Warner	United States	Media	46.48	4.39	133.83	55.83
85	Banco Bradesco	Brazil	Banking	36.12	4.11	192.65	59.80
85	KBC Group	Belgium	Banking	35.22	4.66	517.98	43.66
87	Dexia	Belgium	Banking	140.78	3.47	889.98	28.04
88	Altria Group	United States	Food Drink & Tobacco	38.05	9.16	57.21	154.20
89	National Australia Bank	Australia	Banking	38.88	4.06	499.44	43.95
90	Cisco Systems	United States	Technology Hardware & Equip	37.68	8.07	55.30	145.39
91	Manulife Financial	Canada	Insurance	33.08	4.01	178.58	59.18
92	Bank of Nova Scotia	Canada	Banking	28.02	4.25	431.30	48.08
93	Intel	United States	Semiconductors	38.33	6.98	55.65	115.59
94	Unilever	Netherlands/United Kingdom	Food Drink & Tobacco	54.82	5.30	53.40	92.75
95	Toronto-Dominion Bank	Canada	Banking	26.51	4.20	443.56	48.38
96	Nissan Motor	Japan	Consumer Durables	89.09	3.92	104.20	37.90
97	Lehman Bros Holdings	United States	Diversified Financials	59.00	4.19	691.06	27.05
98	Carrefour Group	France	Food Markets	112.40	3.15	75.73	49.95
99	Commonwealth Bank	Australia	Banking	26.48	3.80	360.42	51.86
100	Boeing	United States	Aerospace & Defense	66.39	4.07	58.99	63.32

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2008/18/biz_2000global08_The-Global-2000_Rank.html