Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, briefly became the first person in history worth $500 bn (£370bn), according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. But only a few hours later, his wealth dropped back to $470 bn (£348bn).
The rise came as Tesla’s stock gained more than 3% on Wednesday and continued to climb in early trading on Thursday. The rally followed news that Musk bought 2.5 mln Tesla shares worth $1 bn (£744m), his first open-market purchase since 2020.
Tesla shares have jumped nearly 80% over the past year, even though the company has faced slower sales, stronger competition, and...