The list of billionaires shows a $ 1.5 trillion impact on the collapse of the market in 2018

Falling stock markets in 2018 erased US $ 1 trillion ($ 1.5 billion NZD) from the wealthiest wealth in the world, with more than 212 Chinese magnates losing billion dollar status, according to a compiler list of wealth Hurun report.

The report, the Chinese version of the Forbes rich list, showed the Chinese billionaires always more numerous than those of any other country on January 31st, at 658. Several newcomers amassed wealth thanks to vast offers of actions. The United States had 584 billionaires.

Beijing was the city with the most billionaires, with 103, followed by New York with 92 and Hong Kong with 69.

But as Chinese and other Asians gain more and more wealth, Amazon's founder, Jeff Bezos, led the world's richest for the second year in a row, with an estimated $ 147 billion worth of wealth. Hurun Global. Bill Gates is ranked second with $ 96 billion and Warren Buffett third with $ 88 billion. The richest Chinese were the founder of Alibaba, Jack Ma, with 39 billion US dollars.

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Gates' fortune grew by $ 6 billion in 2018, said Hurun Report CEO Rupert Hoogewerf, despite his enthusiasm for philanthropy.

Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries), an Indian group among the 10 richest in the world, was estimated at $ 54 billion.

Overall, the report says that there are 2,470 billionaires in the world, or 224 fewer than last year. Their total wealth dropped $ 950 billion from the previous year, to $ 9.6 billion, thanks to stock market fluctuations and the strength of the US dollar, he added.

The market meltdowns had the biggest impact on Japan, where the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 43% of its market capitalization value. But even the Shanghai exchange has lost nearly a quarter of its value and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index has fallen by nearly 16%.

Hurun released the report in partnership with a Chinese luxury property developer, Loong Palace.

Hoogewerf said he believed the world's billionaires could number more than 6,000 people, as many seek to hide the extent of their wealth, especially in the Middle East.

"While some are making extraordinary efforts to hide their wealth, most billionaires simply prefer to be discreet, to prevent their competitors from getting into a good deal or protecting their families," he said. declared.