In this issue
May 3, 2010 Vol. 161 No. 6 / Fortune Asia / FORTUNE 500
FORTUNE 500

42 / PROFITS BOUNCE BACK
The companies on this year's list cut costs so deeply that earnings soared.
BY SHAWN TULLY

46 / CAN ELLEN KULLMAN RESTORE DUPONT'S FADED LUSTER?
The CEO promises to jolt profits.
BY CAROL J. LOOMIS

54 / THE DIRECTORS
Fortune takes you inside six boardrooms at the heart of the U.S. economy.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREGG SEGAL

REPORTING BY JESSICA SHAMBORA

66 / THE OTHER GUY YOU NEED TO KNOW AT J.P. MORGAN
Could investment-banking head Jes Staley succeed Jamie Dimon one day?
BY DUFF MCDONALD

F--1 / THE 500 LARGEST U.S. CORPORATIONS

F--27 / NOTES, DEFINITIONS, AND EXPLANATIONS

FIRST

15 | BY THE NUMBERS
Planet Wal-Mart.
BY DORIS BURKE

20 | CLOSER LOOK
Wells Fargo to the feds: Thanks for nothing.
BY ADAM LASHINSKY

22 | EDUCATION
Berea College's dilemma.
BY DAVID A. KAPLAN

24 | THE BRIEFING
Mood and market volatility, Merlot's moment, and more.

INVEST

27 | INTERVIEW
Goldman fund chief Eileen Rominger says a modest economic recovery will boost U.S. stocks and believes bonds will do well too. But she's crazy about China, Brazil, and India.
BY MINA KIMES

104 | BING!
Opinion

29 | The stocks of Fortune 500 companies did great, but don't expect the glory days back.
BY ALLAN SLOAN

30 | As executive comp becomes topic A (again), the real outrage is how CEOs are paid, not how much.
BY GEOFF COLVIN

32 | Who says the economy is rebounding? Buffett, Dimon, and Welch, that's who.
BY BECKY QUICK

34 | The truth about trade: Promoting exports sounds manly. But imports are good for society too.
BY MICHAEL ELLIOTT

36 | C-SUITE INTERVIEW
Xerox's new CEO Ursula Burns is already transforming the company.
BY GEOFF COLVIN

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ILLUSTRATION:ﾂCARL DETORRES

SEVEN PHOTOS