Gina Rinehart is now the richest woman in the world, with an estimated fortune of $29.17 billion.
That’s according to Australia’s Business Review Weekly (BRW)’s just-published “2012 Rich 200 list”.
Her $29 billion mining fortune is $3 billion greater than Christy Walton’s – the widow whose inherited wealth springs from the US retail giant Wal-Mart.
She has, says BRW, “ridden Australia’s resources boom like no one else, her wealth ballooning by an unparalleled $18.87 billion in the past year…That equates to $1,077,0540 every 30 minutes of every day.
“The gargantuan increase flows from foreign investment in new projects, increased production and a recovery in the iron ore price over the past six months…And much more could be on the way.
“If the demand for natural resources remains strong, additional multi-billion mines are almost inevitable,” says BRW Rich List editor Andrew Heathcote:
“There is a real possibility that Rinehart will become not just the richest woman in the world but the richest person in the world.
“A $100 billion fortune is not out of the question for Rinehart if the resources boom continues unabated”.
For more on Gina Einehart:
http://moneytometal.org/index.php/Gina_Rinehart