Brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance plc has published its annual survey of the world's 500 most valuable brands. Top of the list is US retailer Wal-Mart – retaining its 2009 ranking with a 2% value increase to over $41 billion – while Google has risen to second place from 5th. Vodafone was in 7th place; other top ten technology brands included IBM (4th), Microsoft (5th) and HP (9th).
The Brand Finance 'Global 500' report gives each brand a rating based on its strength, risk and potential as well as measuring the financial strength of the brand.