These Billionaires Actually Got Richer in 2008.* Mayor Mike. Who says government is bad for wealth? Financial-data king and New York City Mayor Michael Blomberg added $4.5 billion to his fortune to rack up a net worth of $16 billion. Forbes doesn’t really give a reason, saying only that it is due to a “re-evaulation” of his company after he bought out Merrill’s stake in news and information provider Bloomberg LP.
* John Paulson. The hedge funder’s Advantage Fund rose 38%, doubling his fortune to $6 billion.
* Jim Simons. The hedge funder’s Medallion Fund surged 80% last year, using “complex algorithms,” giving Mr. Simons a $2.5 billion boost to $8 billion.
* Tadashi Yanai. Japan’s richest guy and his family gained $2.6 billion from their discount clothing business, Fast Retailing.
* George Soros. The king of gloom and doom added $2 billion to his war chest and now has a net worth of $11 billion, largely with bearish bets at his hedge fund.
* John Arnold. The fresh-faced head of Centaurus Energy is said to be up 80% this year, kicking his net up $1.2 billion to $2.7 billion. He now is moving into hard assets like power plants and storage facilities.
