Published on 6/16/2026
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Last update: 15:02 (Mecca time)
The 500 richest people in the world added $336 billion to their wealth in one day, in the largest daily increase recorded by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, supported by the rise in markets and the jump in SpaceX shares after its listing on the stock exchange.
The agency stated that the increase was achieved at the close of New York trading on Monday, raising the collective net worth of the 500 richest people in the world to a record level of $13.3 trillion.
The biggest jump came from Elon Musk, who became the world’s first trillionaire, as his wealth rose by more than 10% to $1.27 trillion, driven in particular by the rise in the market value of SpaceX.
Musk alone added $164 billion to his wealth in one day, an amount close to the total gains achieved by the rest of the 499 people in the index, according to Bloomberg.
The agency indicated that the threshold for entering the list of the 500 richest people also rose to a record level, as the wealth of each of the 12 people at the bottom of the list reached $7.9 billion.
Markets jump
This increase was achieved amid a rise in global markets, after America and Iran reached a phased agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which eased fears of disruption to energy supplies and inflation.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a record level, while the Nasdaq 100 Index and the MSCI Global Index ended trading near their historical highest levels, in a session supported by technology stocks and a decline in geopolitical concerns.
SpaceX stock was the biggest driver of the rise in the fortunes of billionaires, after the company’s market value jumped 20% with individual investors buying the stock following the company’s listing on the public market.
The company, led by Musk, had carried out a huge initial public offering the previous week, in a step that moved it from one of the largest private companies in the world to a listed public company, and the company’s stock movements directly affected estimates of the wealth of its founder and its major owners.
SpaceX gains its importance from its combination of rocket launch activity and satellite Internet services through Starlink, in addition to its increasing association with Musk’s artificial intelligence projects.
The jump in Musk’s wealth reflects the sensitivity of the wealth of major billionaires to stock movements, as the majority of their wealth consists of shares in public or private companies, not direct cash flow.
Wealth gap
Bloomberg said Musk’s rise in wealth highlights the widening wealth gap within the super-rich class itself.
According to Bloomberg Index data:
- The 50 richest people in the world now own $6.5 trillion.
- This is a number close to the total of $6.8 trillion owned by the remaining 450 people on the list of the 500 richest people.
These are the top 5 wealthiest billionaires in the world at the time of writing, according to Bloomberg’s list:
- Elon Musk has a fortune of $1.27 trillion.
- Larry Page has a fortune of $314 billion.
- Sergey Brin’s fortune is $292 billion.
- Jeff Bezos has a fortune of $267 billion.
- Larry Ellison has a fortune of $247 billion.
