Slim overtakes Bill Gates as world’s richest man
Now, thanks to a surge in the shares of his America Movil group, Mr. Slim has claimed pole position, according to the Mexican online financial publication, Sentido Común.
It was Sentido Común's founder, Eduardo Garcia, who highlighted Mr. Slim's rapidly rising wealth in April, although by his calculations the Mexican had not only beaten Mr. Buffett in the wealth stakes by then but also edged past Mr. Gates.
Now, however, Mr. Garcia says there is no doubt that the little-known Mexican has finally captured the coveted top slot, following a surge in America Movil's shares over the second quarter. This is estimated to have boosted his fortune to an estimated $67.8bn (£33.6bn) – equivalent to 8% of Mexico's gross domestic product – compared with $59.2bn for the Microsoft mogul, putting him in the lead by a decisive $8.6bn.
"When I put Slim ahead three months ago Forbes bumped him up to second place (in world rankings) a few days later," Mr. Garcia told Reuters. "Let's see if the same happens again."
[Editor's Note: The guy is so wealthy yet he cannot pay for a single Mexican driver to run full time in Champ Car to give the relatively poor Mexican people someone to cheer for? Wealth = greed]