+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

The top 500 richest people in the world made an average of $14 million each day in the first half of 2023 as markets rallied

Jul 4, 2023, 10:39 IST
Business Insider
Elon Musk is the world's richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images
  • The 500 richest people added $852 billion to their collective fortunes in the first half of this year, per Bloomberg.
  • Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is the top winner as his wealth jumped by $97 billion to $233 billion.
Advertisement

The world's top 500 billionaires had a bumper start to 2023 thanks to a broad market rally.

These billionaires collectively added $852 billion to their fortunes in the first half of the year — or about $14 million each day during the period — according to Bloomberg's calculations based on its Billionaires Index.

The gains mark the best half-year for all the billionaires on the index since the second half of 2020 when the markets rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic, per Bloomberg.

The S&P 500 — an index that tracks a broad range of sectors such as banks, manufacturing, tech, and retail — is up about 16.5% this year.

Tech stocks, in particular, were on a tear in the first half of 2023 on the back of the generative artificial intelligence boom. The tech-focused Nasdaq 100 is up 31% this year. The rally benefited tech tycoons Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, the biggest winners in the index this year.

Advertisement

Musk — the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and recently stepped down as the CEO of Twitter — saw his wealth soar by almost $97 billion through June 30, per Bloomberg. Now worth $237 billion, Musk is the world's richest person — ahead of Frenchman Bernard Arnault, the CEO, and co-founder of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Musk and Arnault have been swapping positions as the world's richest person since late 2022.

Meanwhile, Zuckerberg added nearly $60 billion to his net worth this year, following a nearly 80% rise in Meta's stock price amid the tech giant's "year of efficiency."

But not every billionaire saw bumper returns on their wealth.

Indian tycoon Gautam Adani's fortune tanked by $60.2 billion this year, making him the biggest loser in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Adani's wealth cratered after US short-seller Hindenburg Research alleged in a scathing January 24 report that the Adani Group "engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades." Adani has denied those claims.

Advertisement

The S&P 500 closed 0.12% higher at 4,455.59 on Monday. The Nasdaq 100 closed 0.2% higher at 15,208.69.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article