Wondering how the richest stock market traders make it to the top? Who wouldn’t?
After all, the Forex market is widely considered the most thrilling financial market because over $5 trillion is being traded every day.
Considering the volume and size of the Forex market and the stock market, no wonder it keeps attracting and welcoming new traders who are interested in mastering it and earning extra profits.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you are completely new to trading or already had a few seasons of trading behind your back – all traders share one key goal – to become successful in Forex trading and trading the stock market So, who are the richest traders in the world? Let’s find out.
Top 7 Richest Traders in the World
Do you ever look at your trades and wonder – how far could this go?
Well, today we’ll show you the richest stock traders in the world of all time so that you can boost that motivation to succeed in trading. Their stories are full of hard work, dedication, and patience. They are people with the power of influence, whose moves had an impact on the whole trading industry.
For this guide, we’ll be using the peak net worth in USD to rank the richest traders in the world.
Richest Traders in the World for 2023
- Ray Dalio – $19.8 billion
- Steve Cohen – $19.8 billion
- Paul Tudor Jones II – $8.1 billion
- George Soros – $6.7 billion
- Stanley Drunckenmiller – $6.2 billion
- Carl Icahn – $5.1 billion
- Ed Seykota – $4.2 billion
1. Ray Dalio
Net worth: $19.8 billion
Ray Dalio – or Trading Legend if you’d like – got involved with the financial markets from the age of 12 when he bought shares of Northeast Airlines for $300 and tripled his investment after the airline merged with another company.
After graduating from Harvard Business School in 1975, he went on to launch the investment company, Bridgewater, from his two-bedroom apartment in New York City. The company’s success skyrocketed in the ‘80s and by 2011 it would turn into the largest hedge fund in the entire world.
Today, the hedge fund manages about $160 billion in assets. He also predicted the global financial crisis in 2007 and further explained his model in an essay titled “How the Economic Machine Works: A Template for Understanding What Is Happening Now”.
2. Steve Cohen
Net worth: $19.8 billion
Steve Cohen built his fortune primarily through his expertise in hedge fund management. Born in 1956, Cohen began his career in finance and eventually founded SAC Capital Advisors, a hedge fund known for its aggressive trading strategies and impressive returns.
Cohen’s success stemmed from his keen understanding of the markets and his willingness to take calculated risks. He was celebrated for his exceptional ability to generate profits, often through short-term trading and speculation on stocks. His firm attracted attention for consistently outperforming the market, earning Cohen a reputation as one of the most skilled and successful hedge fund managers of his time.
However, SAC Capital faced legal challenges, including allegations of insider trading by some of its employees. Despite Cohen himself not being charged, SAC Capital pleaded guilty to insider trading charges in 2013 and agreed to pay a record fine. As a result, the firm transformed into a family office called Point72 Asset Management, managing Cohen’s personal wealth.
3. Paul Tudor Jones II
Net worth: $8.1 billion
Paul Tudor Jones became famous after appearing in one of the best trading documentaries ever ‘The Trader’ in 1987 where he anticipated a market crash. He used stock index futures to triple his capital under management during the Black Monday crash in 1987 with large short positions.
His fund had a 125.9% return in one day after fees with an approximate $100 million profit. PTJ’s hedge fund went on to perform well over the decades with steady returns and minimal drawdowns in the capital.
Paul Tudor Jones II is known for his macro trades, particularly his bets on interest rates and currencies. He made his fortune by founding and managing capital for his Tudor Investment Corporation making Paul Tudor Jones II the 131st richest person in the world.
4. George Soros
Net worth: $6.7 billion
George Soros is a famous stock market investor.
From beginners to well-established and richest forex traders, we are sure that almost everyone knows the story of the man who broke the Bank of England. You know, the man who took a $1 billion profit in a single day during the 1992 Black Wednesday UK currency crisis? He went down in history as the first person who earned that much money in a single day.
$1 billion.
With a B.
In 1 day.
He is a founding member of Soros Fund Management, LLC – a firm that manages hedge funds. Since its opening, the company has managed to generate around $40 billion in earnings.
Not just that but he also founded Quantum Fund and the Central and Eastern Europe-focused Open Society Foundations, making over $14 billion in grants. Since 1984, Soros has guided his foundation towards supporting people and various organizations around the world, fighting for equality, freedom of speech, and more.
In 2017, Soros himself donated $18 billion of his fortune to fund the foundation’s future projects.
Let’s face it, the man was hungry to make money and he sure did succeed.
5. Stanley Drunckenmiller
Net worth: $6.2 billion
Stanley Druckenmiller made his money primarily through his successful career as an investor and hedge fund manager. He gained widespread recognition and wealth during his time as the lead portfolio manager for George Soros’ Quantum Fund, where he made $1 billion profit in 1992.
After leaving Soros Fund Management, Druckenmiller founded his own hedge fund, Duquesne Capital Management, which also experienced considerable success under his leadership.
6. Carl Icahn
Net worth: $5.1 billion
The richest trader in the trading world – is Carl Icahn. Throughout the history of Wall Street, we have seen many investors and brokers but how many of them have become truly successful?
Carl Icahn is one of the most influential hedge fund managers. He is famous for his wisdom and intelligence when it comes to investing and is often compared to Warren Buffet.
Carl Icahn was born in New York to a family of teachers. He was close to his uncle – M. Elliot Schnall, who eventually helped him buy a seat on the New York Stock Exchange by loaning him $400,000. The rest is history.
With his holding company, Icahn Enterprises, Carl invested in a lot of both international and U.S. companies, including Apple, Netflix, Time Warner, Revlon, Viacom, Motorola, and others. His smart investments are what made him one of the richest men in the world.
As a hedge fund manager, his investing strategies have always been fascinating to traders and investors. Icahn became famous for not being afraid of taking risks and for his impeccable judgments when it comes to investment opportunities.
7. Ed Seykota
Net worth: $4.2 billion
Ed Seykota, or as Forbes called him, Top Trend Following Market Wizard, is undoubtedly one of the most successful traders. He began his career in the 1970s when he was hired by a major brokerage firm. It was there that Ed developed one of the first commercialized trading systems for managing money in the futures market.
He’s known for his end-of-day computerized trading systems that relied heavily on trends.
What makes Ed incredibly unique is his continual self-examination and commitment to studying the psychological components of trading while also helping other traders achieve their potential. Everything he does is based on strict trading rules he’s outlined for himself. It’s how he manages to stay calm even when things aren’t going his way.
It’s not every day you see someone lose $100m and not even bat an eyelid.
Other Top Richest Stock Traders in 2023
Here is a list of other richest stock traders in 2023:
- Warren Buffett – $107.2b billion net worth
- Jim Simons – $24.4 billion net worth
- Ken Griffin – $20.8 billion net worth
- David Tepper – $15.8b net worth
- Israel Englander – $10.5 billion net worth
- David Shaw – $7.5 billion net worth
- Bill Ackman – $3,2 million net worth
- Jim Rogers – $300 million net worth
- Mark Minervini – $18 Million net worth
- Rayner Teo – below $1 million in net worth but he admits that he is not a millionaire
How Do I become a Better Trader
You can become a better trader by paying attention to these aspects of your trading:
- Always have a trading plan. Attempting to trade the financial market with a trading plan is suicidal.
- Proper risk management is non-negotiable.
- Read as much as you can. Learn as much as you can. Watch trading documentaries, and read trading books. However, don’t jump from one strategy to another. Rather, figure out one that’s profitable, and stick to it. The better you understand the strategy, the more likely you are to make money off it.
- Practice your trading for as long as possible. Even when you’ve become profitable, still keep practicing. That’s the only way to maintain your trading edge.
Wrapping Up
You want to be a successful trader after reading about these trading giants, don’t you? Well, one thing that all these trading giants have in common is the fact that many of them have threaded the path of success and have pushed to learn all they can, as fast as they can.
Most people who have made a lot from trading understand this aspect of the game. There is no substitute for hard work in the trading industry; at the same time, there is no room for doubt. You can get there & you can do as well as they did. If these aren’t enough, you can also check the richest forex traders in the world and get inspired by them too.
For more inspiring resources you can check our blog posts on the best trading books and our list of top trading movies to boost your knowledge and motivation about entering the markets.
We hope that our list triggered your desire to learn more about Forex trading, stock trading, or cryptocurrency trading and become a notable trader, just like everyone else on this list.
