Africa-Press – Eritrea. The world’s 500 wealthiest people added a combined $265 billion to their fortunes Wednesday as global stock markets rallied on optimism that a ceasefire between the US and Iran would hold, Bloomberg reported.
The jump marked the second-largest one-day gain ever recorded by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, trailing only the $304 billion increase seen nearly a year ago after US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on planned tariffs.
The surge came as investors welcomed signs that the fragile truce could help ease pressure on oil prices and support a resumption of trade through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy shipping route.
The S&P 500 rose 2.5% on Wednesday, while the Dow Jones climbed 2.85% and the Nasdaq added 2.8%, boosting the fortunes of some of the world’s richest individuals.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recorded the biggest daily gain on the wealth index, adding $12.8 billion after the company’s shares climbed 6.5%.
French luxury billionaire Bernard Arnault and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin each gained more than $8 billion, while 61 people on the index saw their net worth increase by more than $1 billion.
Despite Wednesday’s sharp rebound, the world’s 500 richest people remained down by a combined $38.8 billion since the start of 2026, with their total wealth standing at $11.7 trillion.
