http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/business/11forbes.html
Carlos Slim Tops Forbes List of Billionaires
Carlos Slim Helú of Mexico beat Bill Gates and Warren E. Buffett for the top spot on Forbes magazine’s annual list of billionaires, becoming the first person from outside the United States to lead the rankings in 16 years.
The net worth of Mr. Slim, 70, who built a telecommunications empire after buying Mexico’s state-run phone monopoly two decades ago, rose $18.5 billion, to $53.5 billion. Mr. Gates, 54, chairman of Microsoft, fell to second as his net worth increased $13 billion, to $53 billion. Mr. Buffett, 79, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, was third with $47 billion, a rise of $10 billion.
Mr. Slim is the first person other than Mr. Gates or Mr. Buffett to top the list since 1994. That year was the last time a billionaire from outside the United States led the ranking — the Japanese real estate tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi.
“We’ve been watching Slim for a while and kind of wondered when the stars would align and he would take over,” Luisa Kroll, a senior editor at Forbes, said in an interview on Wednesday.
More than 80 percent of Mr. Slim’s holdings are in five public stocks, she said.
Mexican shares of América Móvil, the wireless carrier controlled by Mr. Slim, have gained more than 56 percent in the last year, according to Bloomberg data.
Mr. Slim’s holdings in Mexico include retail operations like the Sanborns department store chain as well as banking and construction.
The Forbes rankings are based on information including stakes in publicly traded and privately held companies; real estate holdings; and investments in items like art, gems and yachts.