FT500 - Global 500 A measure of financial muscle The annual FT500 ranks the world's companies by relative size |  Read Meltdown, but the strongest keep their cool It was a brutal year, but, even so, electronics and information technology companies occupy five of the top 10 rankings worldwide |  Read The year the giants chose to merge The global merger wave last year was largely responsible for the growth in size of many companies features in the FT500 |  Read A 180 degree turn in investor attitudes There was money to be made by investors who switched out of TMTs and back into old economy stocks near the peak of dotcom mania |  Read