Markets
Ranked: The Most Valuable Nation Brands
Ranked: The Most Valuable Nation Brands
Talent and capital are increasingly mobile, so a country’s image and reputation — its brand — can have a big impact on the country’s economic fortunes.
This is particularly true in smaller nations such as Singapore, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates, which have all cultivated an investment and tourism-friendly image. Whether it’s attracting talent or wooing investment dollars, highly ranked nation brands can often outperform their rivals in the global marketplace.
The effect of a country’s image on the brands based there and the economy as a whole makes a nation brand the most important asset of any state.
– David Haigh, CEO, Brand Finance
Today’s Chart of the Week uses data from Brand Finance’s Nation Brands report, which attempts to quantify the reputations of various countries around the world.
Quantifying Perception
The report breaks down the methodology in more detail, but here how the scoring system works. Brand Finance uses three pillars to calculate a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score:
- Goods & Services: Includes factors such as openness to tourism, market size, and trade rules
- Society: Includes factors such as quality of life, corruption, and cultural image
- Investment: Includes items such as talent retention, use of technology, R&D, taxation, and regulation
The BSI score is then used to calculate a hypothetical royalty rate, and to forecast revenues to ultimately derive a brand value (post-tax revenues discounted to calculate a net present value). This calculation produces the “Brand Value” of a country.
The Most Valuable Nation Brands
One of most impressive gains came from second-ranked China, which is rapidly closing the gap separating them from the United States. China’s brand value surged over 40% to $19.4 trillion — more than the cumulative brand value of the next five countries.
Not to be outdone, the United States also posted impressive numbers. Despite being a mature economy, the country’s brand value grew by 7.2% over the last year.
Here is the full top 10 list:
| Rank | Country | Nation Brand Value | Change vs 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇺🇸 United States | $27.8T | +7.2% |
| 2 | 🇨🇳 China | $19.5T | +40.5% |
| 3 | 🇩🇪 Germany | $4.9T | -5.7% |
| 4 | 🇯🇵 Japan | $4.5T | +26.0% |
| 5 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $3.9T | +2.7% |
| 6 | 🇫🇷 France | $3.1T | -4.0% |
| 7 | 🇮🇳 India | $2.6T | +18.7% |
| 8 | 🇨🇦 Canada | $2.2T | -1.8% |
| 9 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | $2.1T | +6.7% |
| 10 | 🇮🇹 Italy | $2.1T | -4.7% |
Top Countries by Brand Strength
One characteristic of the brand value score is that it’s heavily weighted towards the world’s larger economies. The BSI score, by contrast, may be a more accurate reflection of a government’s guidance of its nation brand as it eliminates the inherent GDP advantage that these bigger economies have.
Using the BSI scoring method, Singapore comes out on top — as it has every year since it supplanted Germany in 2015. The highly prosperous city-state serves as the business hub of Southeast Asia and is renowned for its world-class education, healthcare, transport, and low crime levels. These factors, paired with the nation’s unwavering political stability and commitment to its ‘Future Economy’ strategy, makes the island a very strong and stable nation on the global stage.
The top 10 strongest nation brands:
| Rank | Country | Brand Strength Index (BSI) Score | Change vs 2018 | BSI Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 90.5 | -1.9 | AAA+ |
| 2 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 89.9 | -0.3 | AAA+ |
| 3 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 89.6 | +1.9 | AAA+ |
| 4 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 88.2 | +3.5 | AAA |
| 5 | 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | 86.9 | +2.1 | AAA |
| 6 | 🇦🇪 U.A.E. | 86.6 | -1.9 | AAA |
| 7 | 🇫🇮 Finland | 86.4 | -1.0 | AAA |
| 8 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 85.8 | +1.9 | AAA |
| 9 | 🇺🇸 United States | 85.7 | +0.1 | AAA |
| 10 | 🇩🇰 Denmark | 85.6 | +2.6 | AAA |
The United States makes the top 10, but has fallen in the rankings since sitting at fourth place in 2014. That isn’t necessarily an indictment of the U.S. though — the country’s rating has improved somewhat, moving from AA+ to AAA over that same time period.
Turkey was one of the success stories of 2019. The country’s BSI score rebounded by nearly 50% after experiencing a large drop in 2018.
The World’s Top Car Manufacturers by Market Cap
View the high-resolution of the infographic by clicking here.
Ever since Apple and other Big Tech companies hit a market capitalization of $1 trillion, many sectors are revving to follow suit—including the automotive industry.
But among those car brands racing to reach this total valuation, some are closer to the finish line than others. This visualization uses data from Yahoo Finance to rank the world’s top car manufacturers by market capitalization.
What could this spell for the future of the automotive industry?
A special hat-tip to Brandon Knoblauch for compiling the original, regularly-updated spreadsheet.
The World’s Top Car Manufacturers
It’s clear one company is pulling far ahead of the pack. In the competition to clinch this coveted title, Tesla is the undoubted favorite so far.
The electric vehicle (EV) and clean energy company first became the world’s most valuable car manufacturer in June 2020, and shows no signs of slowing its trajectory.
| Rank | Company | Market Cap (US$B) | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tesla | $795.8 | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
| #2 | Toyota | $207.5 | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| #3 | Volkswagen | $96.7 | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| #4 | BYD | $92.7 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #5 | NIO | $89.5 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #6 | Daimler | $72.8 | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| #7 | General Motors | $71.3 | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
| #8 | BMW | $54.2 | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| #9 | Stellantis | $54.2 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
| #10 | Ferrari | $52.5 | 🇮🇹 Italy |
| #11 | Honda | $46.9 | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| #12 | Hyundai | $46.8 | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| #13 | SAIC | $45.2 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #14 | Geely | $39.5 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #15 | Ford | $39.4 | 🇺🇸 U.S. |
| #16 | Xpeng | $33.9 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #17 | Maruti Suzuki | $33.1 | 🇮🇳 India |
| #18 | Li Auto | $29.5 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #19 | Suzuki | $23.7 | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| #20 | Nissan | $20.1 | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| #21 | Subaru | $15.2 | 🇯🇵 Japan |
| #22 | Changan | $14.6 | 🇨🇳 China |
| #23 | Mahindra | $13.9 | 🇮🇳 India |
| #24 | Renault | $12.0 | 🇫🇷 France |
All data as of January 15, 2021 (9:30AM PST)
Tesla’s competitive advantage comes as a result of its dedicated emphasis on research and development (R&D). In fact, many of its rivals have admitted that Tesla’s electronics far surpass their own—a teardown revealed that its batteries and AI chips are roughly six years ahead of other industry giants such as Toyota and Volkswagen.
The Green Revolution is Underway
The sheer growth of Tesla may spell the inevitability of a green revolution in the industry. Already, many major brands have followed in the company’s tracks, announcing their own ambitious plans to add more EVs to their vehicle line-ups.
Here’s how a selection of car manufacturers are embracing the electric future:
Toyota: Ranked #2
The second-most valuable car manufacturer in the world, Toyota is steadily ramping up its EV output. In 2020, it produced 10,000 EVs and plans to increase this to 30,000 in 2021.
Through this gradual increase, the company hopes to hit an expected target of 500,000 EVs by 2025. Toyota also aims to debut 10 new models internationally to achieve this goal.
Volkswagen: Ranked #3
By 2025, Volkswagen plans to invest $86 billion into digital and EV technologies. Considering the car manufacturer generates the most gross revenue per second of all automakers, it’s no wonder Volkswagen is looking to the future in order to keep such numbers up.
The company is also well-positioned to ride the wave of a potential consumer shift towards EVs in Europe. In response to the region’s strict emissions targets, Volkswagen upped its planned sales proportions for European hybrid and EV sales from 40% to 60% by 2030.
BYD and Nio: Ranked #4-5
China jumped on the electric bandwagon early. Eager to make its mark as a global leader in the emerging technology of lithium ion batteries (an essential component of any EV), the Chinese government handed out billions of dollars in subsidies—fueling the growths of domestic car manufacturers BYD and Nio alike.
BYD gained the interest and attention of its billionaire backer Warren Buffett, while Nio is China’s response to Tesla and an attempt to capture the EV market locally.
General Motors: Ranked #7
Also with a 2025 target year in mind, General Motors is investing $27 billion into electric and fully autonomous vehicles. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, too—the company also hopes to launch 30 new fully electric vehicles by the same year.
One particular factor is giving GM confidence: its new EV battery creations. They will be able to extend the range of its new EVs to 400 miles (644km) on a single charge, at a rate that rivals Tesla’s Model S.
Stellantis: Ranked #9
In a long-anticipated move, Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot S.A. finalized their merger into Stellantis N.V. on January 16, 2021.
With the combined forces and funds of a $52 billion deal, the new Dutch-based car manufacturer hopes to rival bigger brands and race even more quickly towards the electric shift.
Honda: Ranked #11
Speaking of fast-paced races, Honda has decided to bow out of future Formula One (F1) World Championships. As these competitions were usually a way for the company to show off its engineering prowess, the move was a surprising one.
However, there’s a noble reason behind this decision. Honda is choosing instead to focus on its commitment to become carbon neutral by 2050. To do so, it’ll be shifting its financial resources away from F1 and towards R&D into fuel cell vehicle (FCV) and battery EV (BEV) technologies.
Ford: Ranked #15
Ford knows exactly what its fans want. In that regard, its electrification plans begin with its most popular commercial cars, such as the Mustang Mach-E SUV. This is Ford’s major strategy for attracting new EV buyers, part of a larger $11.5 billion investment agenda into EVs through 2022.
While the car’s specs compare to Tesla’s Model Y, its engineers also drew from the iPhone and Netflix to incorporate an infotainment system and driver profiles to create a truly tech-first specimen.
Speeding into the Horizon
As more and more companies enter the racetrack, EV innovation across the entire industry may power the move to lower overall costs, extend the total range of vehicles, and put any other concerns by potential buyers to rest.
While Tesla is currently in the best position to become the first car manufacturer to reach the $1 trillion milestone, how long will it be for the others to catch up?
Energy
The Periodic Table of Commodity Returns (2021 Edition)
Which commodity had the best returns in 2020? From gold to oil, we show how commodity price performance stacks up over the last decade.
The Periodic Table of Commodity Returns (2011-2020)
Being a commodity investor can feel like riding a roller coaster.
Take silver. Typically known for sharp, idiosyncratic price movements, it faced double-digit declines in the first half of the decade, falling over 35% in just 2013 alone. By contrast, it jumped over 47% in 2020. Similarly, oil, corn, and others witnessed either steep declines or rapid gains.
The above graphic from U.S. Global Investors traces 10 years of commodity price performance, highlighting 14 different commodities and their annual ranking over the years.
Commodity Price Performance, From Best to Worst
Which commodities were the top performers in 2020?
The aforementioned silver tripled its returns year-over-year, climbing 47.9% in 2020. In July, the metal actually experienced its strongest month since 1979.
| Rank | Commodity | Return (2020) | Return (2019) | Return (2018) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Silver | 47.9% | 15.2% | -8.5% |
| 2 | Copper | 26.0% | 3.4% | -17.5% |
| 3 | Palladium | 25.9% | 54.2% | 18.6% |
| 4 | Gold | 25.1% | 18.3% | -1.6% |
| 5 | Corn | 24.8% | 3.4% | 6.9% |
| 6 | Zinc | 19.7% | -9.5% | -24.5% |
| 7 | Nickel | 18.7% | 31.6% | -16.5% |
| 8 | Gas | 16.0% | -25.5% | -0.4% |
| 9 | Wheat | 14.6% | 11.0% | 17.9% |
| 10 | Platinum | 10.9% | 21.5% | -14.5% |
| 11 | Aluminum | 10.8% | -4.4% | -17.4% |
| 12 | Lead | 3.3% | -4.7% | -19.2% |
| 13 | Coal | -1.3% | -18.0% | -22.2% |
| 14 | Oil | -20.5% | 34.5% | -24.8% |
Along with silver, at least seven other commodities had stronger returns than the S&P 500 in 2020, which closed off the year with 16.3% gains. This included copper (26.0%), palladium (25.9%), gold (25.1%) and corn (24.8%).
Interestingly, copper prices moved in an unconventional pattern compared to gold in 2020. Often, investors rush to gold in uncertain economic climates, while sectors such as construction and manufacturing—which both rely heavily on copper—tend to decline. Instead, both copper and gold saw their prices rise in conjunction.
Nowadays, copper is also a vital material in electric vehicles (EVs), with recent demand for EVs also influencing the price of copper.
Silver Linings
As investors flocked to safety, silver’s price reached heights not seen since 2010.
The massive scale of monetary and fiscal stimulus led to inflationary fears, also boosting the price of silver. How does this compare to its returns over the last decade?
In 2013, silver crashed over 35% as confidence grew in global markets. By contrast, in 2016, the Brexit referendum stirred uncertainty in global markets. Investors allocated money in silver, and prices shifted upwards.
As Gold as the Hills
Like silver, market uncertainty has historically boosted the price of gold.
What else contributed to gold’s rise?
- U.S. debt continues to climb, pushing down confidence in the U.S. dollar
- A weaker U.S. dollar makes gold cheaper for other countries to buy
- Low interest rates kept the returns of other safe haven assets low, making gold more attractive by comparison
Here’s how the price of gold has changed in recent years.
Gold faced its steepest recent declines in 2013, when the Federal Reserve bank discussed tapering down its quantitative easing program in light of economic recovery.
Hitting the Brakes On Oil
Oil suffered the worst commodity price performance in 2020, with -20.5% returns.
For the first time in history, oil prices went negative as demand plummeted. To limit its oversupply, oil producers shrunk investment, closed wells, and turned off valves. Unfortunately, many companies still faced bankruptcies. By November, 45 oil producers had proceeded with bankruptcy filings year-to-date.
This stood in stark contrast to 2019, when prices soared 34.5%.
As is custom for oil, prices see-sawed over the decade. In 2016 and 2019, it witnessed gains of over 30%. However, like 2020, in 2014 it saw huge losses due to an oversupply of global petroleum.
In 2020, total production cuts hit 7.2 million barrels a day in December, equal to 7% of global demand, in response to COVID-19.
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