Forex is the largest financial market in the world. You would probably know a few things about this fascinating field, where people trade their preferred currencies on an intraday and swing basis. You may be thrilled to know that around 5 trillion dollars worth of transactions takes place daily on forex. Its dynamic nature and plenty of opportunities attract traders worldwide to jump into this ocean of currencies.
Well, we have got you. This article has written the success story of top billionaire traders worldwide like George Soros, Carl Icahn, Ray Dalio, David Tepper, and James Simons. It would give you an idea of becoming a professional trader, what mistakes to avoid, and what thoughts to keep in mind.
Billionaire traders are the richest traders in the world who earned from trade assets more than 1.000.000.000 dollars. The most famous billionaire traders are George Soros, Carl Icahn, Ray Dalio, David Tepper, James Simons.
The Richest active traders in the World list are:
- George Soros (8.3 billion dollars)
- Paul Tudor Jones II (5.3 billion dollars)
- John Paulson (4.2 billion dollars)
- Andreas Halvorsen (3.7 billion dollars)
- Bill Ackman (1.6 billion dollars)
Investors and active traders are different notions because investors are looking for a larger return over an extended period through buying and holding. Active traders take advantage of rising and falling markets to enter and exit positions over a shorter timeframe, taking smaller, more frequent profits.
The top 10 Richest Investors in the World are:
- Warren Buffett
- Michael Bloomberg
- George Soros
- Carl Icahn
- Joseph Safra
- Thomas Peterffy
- James Simon
- Ray Dalio
- Abigail Johnson
- Steve Cohen
Please see the video of how the fortune of the richest forex traders grows during the years:
This video above shows George Soros’s net worth over time in the last 10 years.
Top 5 Billionaire Traders in the World
1. George Soros
“If investing is entertaining,
if you are having fun,
you’re probably not making money. Good investing is boring.”
The richest active trader globally is George Soros which fortune is 8.3 billion dollars ($ 8.300.000.000). Warren Buffet You can read the biography of how did George Soros make his fortune.
George Soros is the first billionaire trader on our list. Regardless of being new or experienced, everyone would have heard about George Soros being the most versatile and richest trader in the world and how he broke the Bank of England. But what’s the aftermath? Let us shade light onto it.
George Soros used to be a famous hedge fund manager and managed his clients’ money from 1969 to 2011. His own hedge fund, which he started in 1973, became popular as the Quantum Fund. Though, the event that happened in 1992 changed his life.
He made a bet against the British Pound and created a fortune of $1 billion. After this, he got famous as the man who broke the Bank of England. He also made history for creating such a huge amount in just one day. Fascinating, isn’t it?
He runs his firm and is a founding member of Soros Fund Management, LLC, a hedge fund managing firm. Since its inception, the firm has already generated earnings of $40 billion. They have also started Central and Eastern Europe-focused Open Society Foundations and Quantum Fund, which is said to have a grant of more than $14 billion.
Soros is known to have given its organization the belief to support individuals and organizations worldwide and support the right of equality, freedom of speech, and much more. He also donated $18 billion in 2017 to its foundation to pursue future projects. Soros is also indulged in philanthropy and gives his share to make this world a better place by donating money and sharing wisdom. Traders around the globe widely follow his views and thoughts on investing, trading, and economies.
Though time was not this kind to Soros initially, he was born in a Hungarian family but avoided getting deported; they took shelter in a Nazi Concentration Camp. At the age of 17, he left the nation to fulfill his dreams and goals. He got started as a railway porter and a waiter at a nightclub in the London School of Economics. And from there, his career started paving the way for the future hedge fund tycoon.
His hard work and dedication prove that no matter what your background is, no matter what your past is, if you have the fuel of passion and the willingness to work hard, you can achieve anything you want. It is on you to make your own fortune!
2. Carl Icahn
“The cardinal rule is to have enough capital at the end of the day.”
Carl Icahn is another billionaire trader on our list. There are so many traders on Wall Street, but the question is, how many of them succeed? Well, Carl Icahn surely did. His wisdom and intelligence made him an investment icon so much that his comparison with Warren Buffet is not new. Some even claim him to be better and smarter than Warren Buffet!
Icahn was born in a teacher’s family in New York. His uncle M. Elliot Schnall, with whom he was close, helped buy him a seat at the New York Stock Exchange by giving him a loan worth $ 4,00,000. That is what started the history of this typical New Yorker.
Icahn bought TWA (Trans World Airlines) in the mid-80s. It was the diciest investment that he had ever taken, as the company filed bankruptcy in 1992, though it came out of it just a year later.
Through Icahn Enterprises, known as Icahn’s holding firm, he invested in diverse international and American companies like Netflix, Apple, Revlon, Motorola, Time Warner, Viacom, etc. His witty and timely investments soon made him a fortune of $17 billion, and he became the richest trader in the world.
Traders get fascinated by Icahn’s trading strategies and how he never feared taking a risk and finding profitable opportunities. His trade always worked out the best for him, like magic. Though one should not underestimate his experience and knowledge in this field for just an illusion called a miracle! It was his hard work and dedication.
Carl Icahn is known to have active and aggressive trading strategies. His active trading often led to changes in his investing positions, but that always increased his stock positions’ value. Just like Soros, Icahn is a philanthropist. He is an economic advisor, too.
He often states a quote to his fellow investors – “Don’t always believe what the market tells you. If you think you’re right, stick to your instinct.”
3. Ray Dalio
“It is far more common for people to allow ego to stand in the way of learning.”
Ray Dalio is another story of success. He grew up on Long Island in a middle-class family and started his market journey when he was 12. He used to earn money as tips while being a golf caddy. The turning point was that most of these golfers were working on Wall Street, and that’s how he started feeling interested in the realm of the market.
In 1975, he got the degree of MBA from Harvard Business School and launched Bridgewater – his company he started from his two-bedroom house in New York! The company got successful in the 80’s era, and in 2011, it became the largest hedge fund in the world. Bridgewater currently handles assets worth $160 billion. Ray Dalio’s own net worth is $12.5 billion.
Another interesting story about him is that he predicted the Global Financial Crisis in 2007. He explained the same in his essay “How the Economic Machine Works: A Template for Understanding What Is Happening Now.” In addition to his essay, his book – “Principles” is also trendy among the traders and investors in which he goes into philosophy after his investment moved. He also dwells on his experience of self-analysis and corporate experience.
Many of his principles resonate with the young generation of traders and business people on how they should keep their authenticity, integrity, listen around, and observe the events better at their job. He says that money was never a driving force for him in his book, but it led to his exciting and memorable life.
Ray Dalio believes in sharing his success story with other traders and investors. He has also donated more than $700 million for different philanthropic moves. His Dalio Foundation also provides support to inner-city education, nature conservation, and microfinance.
4. David Tepper
“I think people should be self-reliant. You should work and be self-sufficient. That’s what I did.”
If we are talking about billionaire traders, how can we forget, including David Tepper, aka the world’s greatest hedge fund manager!
He was born in 1957 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He completed his graduation with Economics honors, after which he initiated jumping into the world of investment. Yes, at quite a young age. His career started as a credit analyst who helped him understand the concept of investment and management. He also learned deeply about the credit structures of troubled companies.
His forte of selecting a distressed company and converting it into a profitable one is what made him so famous. He did the same with bonds, buying bonds from banks on the edge of getting bankrupt around the ’80s. But when those banks sustained the bond market crash, he ended up making a fortune over his thoughtful investments.
In the ’90s, he founded the popular hedge fund company Tepper’s Appaloosa Management, which handles more than $15 billion.
Just like other richest traders in the world, Tepper too is known beyond the world of stocks. He is involved in giving his fair share back to society by activities like donating to schools, universities, academic institutes, and sponsoring scholarship programs for students.
5. James Simons
“Past performance is the best predictor of success.”
James Simons is a known and very intriguing figure on the billionaire traders list. We wrote intriguingly as Simons is a hedge fund manager and a mathematician, and a quantitative investor. He is famous for his work on pattern recognition and string theory development. He is also famous as the world’s smartest billionaire.
He was born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1938. He worked at a garden supply store when he was a teenager. With his determination, hard work, and curiosity to do something, he earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics at 23.
He started a team consisting of professors, engineers, and scientists to fulfill his passion for mathematics and trading by building an algorithm that could predict a change in any financial instrument price. And that is what we can call the foundation of Quantitative Analysis.
Simons has also founded Renaissance Technologies, which earned him the tag of the world’s richest trader. The company is a very famous hedge fund managing firm across the globe.
James Simons has expertise in finding patterns using mathematical models. It has also helped him analyze hedge funds with top mist accuracy. He is truly a talent overachiever. His love and passion for mathematics can be seen in his investment techniques and strategies as well.
His philanthropic work includes donating $2.7 billion for various good causes. His net worth at present is said to be around $20 billion.
Conclusion
“There is no real substitute for common sense except for good luck, which is a perfect substitute for everything.”
The common thing we saw among these top 5 richest traders is their passion and knowledge about this realm. We hope that our list has helped you in getting inspiration and provided you with insightful stories. These billionaire traders are self-made and have made their empire from scratch with their hard work, consistency, and never give up attitude.
With the evolution of the financial market, many online platforms are also available now for forex trading. It also makes it easier for common people and small traders to enter the market and hold their position. With the digital era and a plethora of information and research papers available, one can learn how to trade with ease. It also inspires individuals to taste their knowledge of this field.
Whether you are a new trader or an experienced one, the ultimate goal remains the same – to earn a profit. But in the end, doesn’t everyone want to be a millionaire trader? You would like to see yourself as the richest trader in the world at some point in time.
As a trader, you can learn a lot by observing such successful traders and investors. Their experience, knowledge, and learnings are vital and fascinating. They teach us that money can not be made overnight; you work hard over the years. An overnight success, too, would miracle after years of dedicating your life to your goals. We hope that this list would come in handy to you, and you get success on your path to becoming another successful trader. Who knows, the next time, you might be on our list?
