The world’s 500 richest people added $852 billion (about €780 billion) to their personal fortunes in the first half of the year, according to Bloomberg data. On average, each member of the list of billionaires compiled by the news agency increased their accumulated wealth by €14 million a day over the past six months, marking the best half of the year since the last six months of 2020.
This increase in the fortunes of the world’s wealthiest comes on the heels of a stock market rally. In the first six months of 2023, investors did not take into account the successive interest rate hikes, the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine or the banking crises. The Nasdaq’s rise over the period was 39%, driven mostly by AI fever and big tech stocks, which translates into more money for Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
