With the rise of US technology stocks, the club of the world's richest people has just added a new member, and another is expected to join soon.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, MicrosoftFormer CEO Steve Ballmer has a net worth of more than $100 billion, making him the ninth person in the world to reach this peak. OracleFounder Larry Ellison has a net worth of $98.6 billion, making him the 10th richest person on the list, one step away from $100 billion.
Ballmer, 65, resigned as Microsoft's CEO in 2014 and now owns the NBA Los Angeles Clippers. His wealth has increased by $20.1 billion this year, while Ellison's has increased by $18.9 billion.
The rise in technology stocks has contributed to the latest wealth surge, with seven of the nine billionaires with a net worth of more than $100 billion coming from technology companies. AmazonFounder Bezos is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the rally, with a record net worth of $212.1 billion.
Since the beginning of the year, the club's nine members-- and Ellison-- have added a total of about $245 billion to their total wealth of $1.36 trillion. The main members of the club are mostly chief executives of technology companies, as well as Americans, with the exception of French luxury tycoon Bernard Arnault.