What are Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg up to? US billionaires sell $11 billion in stock (2024)

Experts do not see this as a good sign as they said that this could be because of looming US presidential elections this year.

American billionaires are selling stocks and not in small numbers at all. So what has happened in the past few days? Apollo Global Management's Leon Black enacted his first-ever sale after 34 years shedding $172.8 million in his equity firm. Walmart's Walton family sold $1.5billion in a week. In final two months of 2023, Mark Zuckerberg sold nearly half a billion dollars of Meta Platforms Inc. shares. Jeff Bezos sold another 14 million Amazon shares, worth around $2.4billion bringing the total number of shares he has sold in the firm to about 50 million.

What are Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg up to? US billionaires sell $11 billion in stock (1)

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Experts do not see this as a good sign as they said that this could be because of looming US presidential elections this year. Finance firm consultant Alan Johnson told Fortune last month, 'If you're reading the tea leaves and looking at what may happen with our politics in the next year or so, things are pretty good right now - the markets are up. With our politics and everything else going on geopolitically, maybe it won't be as good a year from now or two years from now."

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This coms as S&P 500 has risen more than 27 per cent in the past year adding billions to the portfolios of billionaires. So the stockholders could be taking advantage of current tax breaks which were brought during the Donald Trump administration, the expert said.

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But some financial market players believe that this stock dump reflects something larger behind the scenes. American Hartford Gold, a company that shills gold and other metals to investors, said that large liquidations may be a sign of an impending economic dip as Senior Director Mechi Block said that these CEOs were “getting out before the tech bubble bursts”.

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"Billionaire CEOs like [Jeff] Bezos, [Mark] Zuckerberg, Jamie Dimon, and the Walton family are selling off massive amounts of their own stocks, and analysts think the CEOS may be bracing for an economic downturn," he said, adding, “An overheated stock market continues to climb to new heights as investors feed that frenzy out of fear of missing out, economic insiders are unloading billions of dollars worth of stocks.”

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“Meta stock has soared 186 percent, JPMorgan is up nearly 30 percent, and Amazon has actually surged close to 90 percent. All three companies are trading close to record highs,” he explained, adding, “Typically if CEOs are buying shares, it shows a confidence in the future growth potential of that company. It is also possible these billionaire's view from above could be giving them a different perspective of the economy, and where it's headed.”

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News / Business / What are Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg up to? US billionaires sell $11 billion in stock

What are Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg up to? US billionaires sell $11 billion in stock (2024)

FAQs

Why are Bezos and Zuckerberg selling shares? ›

The latest of those sales was well timed, as Meta's stock price has since fallen about 5% since then. A representative for Zuckerberg said he mainly sells shares through trading plans to fund his and his wife Priscilla Chan's philanthropy.

Why are billionaires selling their stocks? ›

Sometimes, billionaires and hedge fund managers shrewdly exit or reduce positions after achieving their expected investment goals. If a stock's valuation gets too high relative to expected revenue or cash flows, professional investors often consider selling.

How many stocks does Mark Zuckerberg own? ›

Zuckerberg owns around 345 million Class A and B shares. With the stock falling by $52.12 on Thursday, the value of his stake sank by about $18 billion to $152 billion by the close of trading.

Why are they selling their shares? ›

The buying and selling of shares in a corporation is a form of investment. This is to imply that businesses sell stock to raise money. Financial resources are raised through the issuance of stock shares, which investors purchase to get a return on their initial investment and fund future expansion.

Why are all the rich people selling stocks? ›

He is not the only billionaire who has sold stocks and opted to accumulate cash. In mid-2023, news began to spread about the world's super-rich reducing their ownership of shares in public companies. The reason behind this move is to secure their wealth amidst rising interest rates and economic uncertainty.

Why is Mark Zuckerberg a billionaire? ›

Almost all of Mark Zuckerberg's net worth comes from his ownership stake in Facebook, which he founded in 2004. While he was still a student at Harvard University he created a website called Facemash, which allowed students to rate the attractiveness of their peers.

What stocks does Elon Musk invest in? ›

Musk's most famous investment is Tesla. He currently holds shares and options in the company totaling around $77 billion.

Does Mark Zuckerberg own Google? ›

Facebook is owned by Meta. The founder of Meta is Mark Zuckerburg. Google is owned by Alphabet Inc.

What percentage of Amazon does Bezos own? ›

Founder and former CEO Jeff Bezos is the largest Amazon shareholder, with more than 937 million shares, which represent a stake of about 9% in the company. Bezos' shares are worth an estimated $166 billion.

What is the 3-5-7 rule in trading? ›

The 3–5–7 rule in trading is a risk management principle that suggests allocating a certain percentage of your trading capital to different trades based on their risk levels. Here's how it typically works: 3% Rule: This suggests risking no more than 3% of your trading capital on any single trade.

At what age should you get out of the stock market? ›

There are no set ages to get into or to get out of the stock market. While older clients may want to reduce their investing risk as they age, this doesn't necessarily mean they should be totally out of the stock market.

Can I sell a stock and buy it back the same day? ›

While the practice is legal, investors who trade the same securities often in a single day are potentially flagged as “pattern day traders" (PDT), which requires adherence to Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) requirements.

What was the reason for Facebook IPO? ›

The main reason that the company decided to go public is because it crossed the threshold of 500 shareholders, according to Reuters financial blogger Felix Salmon. Facebook reportedly turned down a $750 million offer from Viacom in 2006. That same year, Yahoo!

Did Amazon founder Bezos unload $8.5 B in stock to lead magnificent seven? ›

The biggest overall winner from the Magnificent Seven's recent rally is Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who netted about $8.5 billion unloading stock over less than two weeks in February.

Why does the stock market sell off? ›

The team found that, without exception, each of these selloffs has been primarily driven by one of three things: rising unemployment, rising bond yields or some kind of global exogenous shock. Sometimes, it has been a combination, as was the case during the two equity-market corrections that occurred during 1980.

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