These Covid Billionaire Fortunes Are Fading With the Vaccine Rollout
Bloomberg
2/24/2021
Yoojung Lee
(Bloomberg) -- In the health-care industry, the coronavirus pandemic led to big fortunes, fast. Now some of them are evaporating just as quickly.
Take Seegene Inc., a maker of Covid-19 test kits, and Alteogen Inc., a biotech with subcutaneous-injection technology. Their founders became billionaires as the shares surged last year. Fast forward a few months to the vaccine rollout, and they’ve lost their title after both stocks sank more than 41%, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
It’s a similar story for glovemakers in Malaysia, which counted at least five industry billionaires by August as the worsening health crisis increased demand for the protective gear. Despite a brief rebound amid last month’s frenzy in retail trading, their shares are down at least 40% since hitting highs, wiping more than $9 billion from their founders’ net worths.