Yahoo Finance The top billionaires are even richer than Forbes says
Today (March 6), Forbes published its list of the world’s billionaires in 2018. The 2,208 men and women are from 72 countries and territories, and, together, they’re worth $9.1 trillion. The top 20 alone are worth $1.2 trillion, or roughly Mexico’s yearly economic output.
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, tops the list as the first person with over $100 billion in assets, followed by Bill Gates ($90 billion) and Warren Buffett ($84 billion). The founder and CEO of Tencent, China’s Ma Huateng, who is known as Pony Ma, and Jack Ma, the CEO of Alibaba, are among the 20 richest people worldwide.
While these sums are staggering, the world’s richest individuals are probably richer than Forbes says, according to Bloomberg.
Unlike Forbes, which made its calculations based partly on stock wealth on Feb. 9 this year, Bloomberg updates its billionaires list every day. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos’ net worth has climbed $15 billion since Forbes performed its calculations. Gates, Zuckerberg, and Buffett are at least a $1 billion richer.
The discrepancy between the two lists comes down to how quickly the market grows. In the 25 days since Feb. 9, Amazon, Microsoft, and Berkshire Hathaway have gained at least $20 billion in market value. The S&P 500, an index of 500 large American companies, has risen 4.2% since Feb. 9. Amazon and Microsoft, over the same period, rose 15% and 6%, respectively.
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