The Fortune 500's biggest winners

Even as the economy crumbled, these 20 firms managed to make big money.

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1. Exxon Mobil
Fortune rank: 1
2008 profit: $45.22 Billion
Exxon posted its fourth-straight year of record profits, enduring wild swings in oil prices and a worldwide drop in demand in 2008. Falling oil prices in the latter half of 2008 hurt its oil production arm.

But that was partially offset by Exxon's refinery business, which profited as the declining cost of crude made it cheaper to produce gasoline and diesel. The world's biggest publicly traded company spent $26.1 billion on exploration and capital in 2008, up 25% from a year before, as it tried to reverse production declines of past years.
By Scott Cendrowski, reporter

NEXT: Chevron
Last updated April 20 2009: 11:09 AM ET
2009 Fortune 500
Top 50
Top 50
Exxon Mobil pushes Wal-Mart aside to retake the No. 1 slot this year. Which other companies made the top 50 this year? More
They're hiring!
They're hiring!
As many big companies are announcing mass layoffs, these Fortune 100 employers have at least 150 openings each. More
The biggest losers
The biggest losers
Companies from AIG to United Airlines, from ConocoPhillips to Motorola lost billions of dollars last year. Who lost the most? More
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