The Netherlands is home to few multinational firms today. The world’s first stock exchange was established in Amsterdam in the 17th century and the world’s oldest public company, the Dutch East India company traded there. Holland also became infamous for the Tulip mania and the subsequent crash of tulip prices in the 1600s. Though the country is no longer a colonial power a few world-class companies are still based there.
Twelve companies that appeared in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2012 are listed below :
| Country Rank | Company | Global Rank | City | Revenues($ millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Royal Dutch Shell | 1 | The Hague | 484,489 |
| 2 | ING Group | 18 | Amsterdam | 150,571 |
| 3 | EADS | 125 | Leiden | 68,310 |
| 4 | LyondellBasell Industries | 185 | Rotterdam | 51,035 |
| 5 | Aegon | 228 | The Hague | 44,197 |
| 6 | Royal Ahold | 243 | Amsterdam | 42,090 |
| 7 | Rabobank Group | 281 | Utrecht | 37,577 |
| 8 | Royal Philips Electronics | 307 | Amsterdam | 35,152 |
| 9 | GasTerra | 375 | Groningen | 29,332 |
| 10 | SHV Holdings | 459 | Utrecht | 24,141 |
| 11 | Heineken Holding | 464 | Amsterdam | 23,898 |
| 12 | Randstad Holding | 489 | Diemen | 22,560 |
Source: Fortune Global 500, Fortune
Among the Dutch companies from the above list that are traded on the US markets, Aegon(AEG), Heineken NV (HEINY)and LyondellBasell Industries NV (LYB) are worth a look now.
Related ETFs:
iShares MSCI Netherlands Investable Market Index (EWN)
Disclosure: Long EWN
