INTERNATIONAL – It’s a perfect 10. On Tuesday, for the first time since the March 2012 launch of the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, every one of the world’s 10 richest people added at least $1 billion ( R14 bn) to their fortunes as US stock markets ripped higher, brushing off last week’s malaise.
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq surged the most since March, and all 30 companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed as strong corporate earnings eased tensions from trade disputes and geopolitical turmoil.
Read more: U.S. stocks rally most since March as tech surges
Amazon's Jeff Bezos, the world’s wealthiest person, was again the top beneficiary, adding $4.7 billion to his net worth, which now stands at $150.3 billion. Facebook Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg, ranked sixth, and No. 3 Warren Buffett saw their fortunes increase $2 billion and $1.8 billion, respectively.
The top 10 added a total of $16.8 billion while all 500 people tracked by the index are $61 billion richer.