Jeff Bezos has become America’s third-richest person.
The 51-year-old founder of Inc. added $2.9 billion to his fortune Friday as the online retailer’s stock rose more than $35 and pushed his net worth to $53.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Bezos passed brothers Charles and David Koch, and ranks behind only Bill Gates and Warren Buffett in the U.S.
Bezos’ fortune has jumped 86 percent in 2015 as investors have cheered profits at Amazon and growth in its cloud segment.
The $24.6 billion year-to-date increase is the most of anyone on the index and almost equal to the combined gains of Face book Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Amazon shares closed at $599.03 Friday. The increase makes Bezos the fifth-richest person on Earth, up from the No. 20 spot on Jan. 1.
The Internet entrepreneur’s soaring wealth contrasts with that of the Walton family, who together control more than half of Walmart, the world’s largest retailer.
Alice, Christy, Jim and Rob Walton are among the worst-performing billionaires this year, down a combined $43.4 billion as the mass merchandiser invests in stores and e-commerce in an attempt to revitalize sales at the retailing giant.
The second-best performing billionaire this year is Spain’s Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex SA, the world’s biggest clothing retailer, who has added $16.3 billion, a 26.6 percent gain. Wang Jianlin, China’s richest person, has added $11.8 billion, a 47 percent rise.
