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Bezos Sets New Wealth Record, Losing $19.2 Billion Over Two Days

Jeff Bezos is still the world’s richest person, but he’s a lot closer to No. 2 Bill Gates than just a few months ago.

Bezos Sets New Wealth Record, Losing $19.2 Billion Over Two Days
Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive officer of Amazon.com Inc (Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)

(Bloomberg) -- Jeff Bezos is still the world’s richest person, but he’s a lot closer to No. 2 Bill Gates than just a few months ago.

The Amazon.com Inc. founder lost $19.2 billion over the past two trading days -- the most ever in that time, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index -- amid a global market selloff fueled by fears of further trade tensions. Facebook Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg held the previous record, set in July, when the social-media giant reported revenue and user growth that missed estimates, lopping $16.5 billion from his fortune.

Technology stocks led Monday’s declines, with the Nasdaq Composite Index sliding to its lowest since April. Shares of Amazon tumbled 6.3 percent, on top of Friday’s 7.8 percent drop, leaving Bezos with $128.1 billion, down from a peak of $167.7 billion early last month.

Bezos Sets New Wealth Record, Losing $19.2 Billion Over Two Days

The $8.2 billion hit he took Monday was the biggest by far on the Bloomberg ranking of the world’s 500 richest people. Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim’s $2.5 billion drop was the day’s second-largest. Gates, the Microsoft Corp. co-founder, lost $558.3 million and is now worth $92.8 billion.

--With assistance from Jack Witzig and Devon Pendleton.

To contact the reporter on this story: Reade Pickert in New York at epickert@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pierre Paulden at ppaulden@bloomberg.net, Peter Eichenbaum

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.