That’s rich: No recession for world’s billionaires

THINGS are on the up for US billionaires with more than half of them adding to their net worth in a year which once again saw Bill Gates as the richest of them all, Forbes magazine said.

Gates, founder of Microsoft, was the richest person in the United States for the 17th year in a row with an estimated worth of $54 billion, up $4 billion from last year.

Number two on the list was investor Warren Buffett, worth $45 billion, up $5 billion. Oracle founder Larry Ellison’s net worth was unchanged, in third place, at $27 billion. Christy Walton, heir to Walmart founder Sam Walton’s fortune, was in fourth place with $24 billion, up $2.5 billion.