Summary
11 March 2011
There are 1,210 people in the world now worth more than $1 billion, according to business publisher Forbes. That is 214 more billionaires than last year. There is a growing number of fortunes in Asia and emerging countries.
Reporter:
Caroline Hepker
Mexican telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest man
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Report
Forbes has been tracking the world's billionaires since 1987 and this year there are more mega-wealthy individuals than ever before.
The world's richest man is still Carlos Slim; the Mexican telecoms tycoon is worth $74 billion. The US has Microsoft's Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett, plus six Facebook billionaires - 413 American billionaires in all.
But fast-growing rivals are challenging US dominance. Asia now has 332 billionaires, even more than in Europe. One hundred and fifteen billionaires are in China, many created as Chinese companies have listed on the stock market. And Moscow is the city with the most billionaire residents.
Commodities, like steel and oil, have soared in price creating fortunes this year. The authors warn that they may not last.
Caroline Hepker, 大象传媒 News, New York
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Vocabulary
- tracking
here, watching the business movements and lives of
- tycoon
extremely rich, successful and powerful business person
- investor
person who buys stocks and shares or pays money into a bank in order to make a profit
- in all
in total
- dominance
position of power that is ahead of competitors
- listed
here, included on the international list of companies which sell stocks and shares to the public
- stock market
place where stocks and shares of companies are bought and sold
- commodities
valuable things which are sold to produce other things or make them work
- soared
suddenly increased to an unexpectedly high price
- warn
make aware of a possible danger or threat
