market folly

Forbes is out with its billionaire list: 2011 edition. This year, the list features 1,210 billionaires with a total net worth of $4.5 trillion. Digest that for a second. What might surprise you even more is the number of prominent investors that grace this accomplished list.

Notable Moves From Last Year

Last year in a quick scan, we highlighted 36 top investors on Forbes' list. This time around, we found 48 prominent investors. The top three slots remain unchanged from 2010 with Carlos Slim Helu, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett occupying their same respective positions. It should come as no surprise that many of the founders of the top 10 biggest hedge funds also grace this list of billionaires.

Moving Up: John Paulson moved up six slots on the list by adding to his fortune by 33% (+$4 billion). Appaloosa Management founder David Tepper jumped up 50 spots on the list as he boosted his net worth by almost 43% to $5 billion.

Moving Down: Energy trader John Arnold's fortune shrank by $0.7 billion and as a result he dropped 124 spots. David Shaw's net worth declined by 12% and he fell 166 slots on Forbes' list. Wesco and Berkshire Hathaway veteran Charlie Munger somehow saw his savings swoon by 41% as he slid 558 spots.

Net Worth Up, Rank Down: George Soros saw his personal warchest grow by only $500 million (we use the term 'only' very loosely) and thus was leapfrogged by numerous other investors on the list. Paul Tudor Jones found himself in a similar scenario where he increased his net worth by $100 million but slipped 39 rungs on the ladder. It appears as though the rich were simply getting richer faster than these two hedge fund titans.


Top Investors on Forbes' Billionaire List
(Click links for recent activity from each manager):

1. Carlos Slim Helu $74b: Made money in telecom but still a large investor
2. Bill Gates $56b: Invests via his Cascade vehicle
3. Warren Buffett $50b: Berkshire Hathaway (see his reading list)
26. Prince Alwaleed $19.6b: Famous for his investment in Citigroup
39. John Paulson $16b: Hedge fund Paulson & Co (see his year-end letter)
46. George Soros $14.5b: Soros Fund Management
57. Paul Allen $13b: Made money via Microsoft but invests (Vulcan)
61. Carl Icahn $12.5b: Recently announced he's returning outside capital
74. Jim Simons $10.6b: Renaissance Technologies Medallion Fund
114. Steven Cohen $8b: SAC Capital
162. Ray Dalio $6b: Bridgewater Associates (see his recent interview here)
169. Stephen Schwarzman $5.9b: Blackstone Group
208. Sam Zell $5b: Real estate and private equity
208. David Tepper $5b: Appaloosa Management (cautious but optimistic)
235. Bruce Kovner $4.5b: Global macro hedge fund Caxton Associates
268. Robert, Daniel, & Dirk Ziff $4b each: Brothers from Och-Ziff
281. Henry Kravis $3.9b: Co-founder of KKR
304. Eddie Lampert $3.6b: ESL Investments (runs Sears Holding Co)
310. Leon Black $3.5b: Founded private equity firm Apollo Management
336. Paul Tudor Jones $3.3b: Tudor Investment Corp
336. Daniel Och $3.3b: Och-Ziff
336. John Arnold $3.3b: Energy trader of Centaurus Capital
362. Peter Kellogg $3.1b: Wall Street specialist firm Spear, Leeds & Kellogg
459. Stanley Druckenmiller $2.5b: His Duquesne Capital recently shut down
459. Mark Cuban $2.5b: Made his fortune in technology but is avid investor
512. Julian Robertson $2.3b: Tiger Management founder
512. Ken Griffin $2.3b: Citadel Investment Group founder
540. David Shaw $2.2b: Founder of D.E. Shaw & Co
540. Philip Falcone $2.2b: Harbinger Capital focusing on 4G network
564. Bill Gross $2.1b: PIMCO's bond vigilante
651. Wilbur Ross $1.9b: Specializes in leveraged buyouts
651. Izzy Englander $1.9b: Millennium Management
692. Leon Cooperman $1.8b: Omega Advisors (see his recent interview)
692. Alan Howard $1.8b: Hedge fund firm Brevan Howard
736. Louis Bacon $1.7b: Global macro hedge fund Moore Capital Management
736. Ken Fisher $1.7b: Fisher Investments
736. Glenn Dubin $1.7b: Highbridge Capital
736. Stephen Mandel $1.7b: Hedge fund firm Lone Pine Capital
782. Richard Chilton $1.6b: Chilton Investment Company
833. Michael Price $1.5b: MFP Investors
833. James Dinan $1.5b: York Capital Management
833. Peter Thiel $1.5b: Made fortune in tech, runs hedge fund Clarium Capital
833. Marc Lasry $1.5b: Avenue Capital
879. T. Boone Pickens $1.4b: This energy maverick also manages a hedge fund
993. Henry Swieca $1.2b: Highbridge Capital
993. Howard Marks $1.2b: Oaktree Capital
1140. Charlie Munger $1b: Berkshire Hathaway
1140. Nelson Peltz $1b: Trian Fund Management


Overall, prominent investors comprise around 4% of this exclusive list. For more recent investor accolades, be sure to also check out the top 10 biggest hedge funds in 2010 as well as the list of 2010 hedge fund returns.