Look to Leaders

Tt's never a bad idea to anchor down your investment portfolio with a few blue-chip stocks. Which companies are the tops? As good an indication of top performance as any is a spot on the Fortune 500. Here are the top 10 for 2004:

2003 Revenue 10-Year Average / Company (billion $) / Investor Return (%)

1. Wal-Mart / 258.6 / 16.3

2. ExxonMobil / 213.1 / 13.3

3. General Motors / 195.6 / 5.6

4. Ford Motor Company / 164.4 / 6.8

5. General Electric / 134.1 / 15.8

6. Chevron Texaco / 112.9 / 10.8

7. ConocoPhillips / 99.4 / 11.8

8. Citigroup / 94.7 / 25.0

9. IBM / 89.1 / 21.7

10. American International Group / 81.3 / 17.3