Many of the world's best-off billionaires got even richer last week

Article by: BLOOMBERG NEWS
Updated: July 1, 2012 - 4:56 PM

A surge in markets after last week's eurozone deal kept Carlos Slim, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett at top of the heap.

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The world's richest people added a combined $21.4 billion to their collective net worth last week as the wealth gap between billionaire Carlos Slim and Eike Batista widened to more than $50 billion.

Global markets surged Friday after European leaders reached an agreement that eased concern that banks will fail, erasing losses sustained by some billionaires earlier in the week.

But Batista's net worth fell $4 billion. Shares of the tycoon's commodities empire plunged after his oil company, OGX Petroleo & Gas Participacoes SA, cut its production targets by as much as 75 percent on Wednesday. Batista, 55, is now worth $20.5 billion and ranks 23rd on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily measure of the wealthiest people on Earth.

Carlos Slim, 72, remains the world's richest person with a net worth of $72.5 billion. The telecommunications tycoon gained $3.4 billion as shares of Mexico City-based Grupo Financiero Inbursa SAB rose 3.34 percent. Slim's America Movil SAB succeeded in amassing the 28 percent stake it sought in Royal KPN NV, the former Dutch phone monopoly.

Bill Gates is $10.1 billion behind Slim. The 56-year-old Microsoft Corp. co-founder's fortune gained $1.1 billion. He is worth $62.4 billion.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. chairman Warren Buffett, 82, ranks third on the index with a net worth of $46.5 billion. His fortune is up 8.8 percent this year.