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They turned that downtown office building into a public parade of billionaires and builders of dynasties, entertainment icons and what-are-they-doing-here Clippers. The big, wide world took turns marching into the heart of Cleveland to make dramatic presentations to a hometown hero in a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers.


Here was Team LeBron making the headquarters of James’ fledgling marketing company LRMR into the Grand Central Station of a city’s hope and heartbreak. And perhaps the Cavaliers showed why they best know the biggest free agent in sports history when they delivered a presentation designed as much to steal a 14-year-old away from a traveling baseball team than woo a self-proclaimed disciple of Warren Buffett.

Through it all, James’ old team probably played it perfectly. The Cavs understood their audience the best: LeBron James(notes) and his high school buddies, 25-year-olds trying to play the part of a global corporation but ultimately still reached at a meaningful level with cartoons and locker-room humor.

A week ago, most teams believed they were chasing the Chicago Bulls for James, but that’s flipped in the past days and hours. “My gut tells me Cleveland,” an executive in the James chase told Yahoo! Sports on Sunday. “From what I hear now, it’s his decision alone. No outside influences.”

Officials from teams who made these presentations went along with the charade, but some questioned the legitimacy of the process based on the kinds of questions that were thrown back to them. “It didn’t take long to realize you’re dealing with 25-year-old kids,” one source said.

Cleveland executives are still on edge, but privately feeling far more confident now than they did weeks ago. As much as anything, William Wesley has been muscled out of the process in the past week or so, with teams insisting that communication to James goes directly through his business manager Maverick Carter. So unnerved over World Wide Wes’ ubiquitous presence in the process, Carter had to go public to undermine Wesley’s credibility and proclaim his own power.

The wresting back of power into James’ Akron-based camp goes a long way to securing the Cavs’ chances for re-signing James. This could preserve James’ future with the Cavaliers, because those surrounding him will eagerly validate his decision to take more money, stay home and keep them all relevant in his career and life.

Team LeBron turned this courtship of presentations into a marketing tool for the breadth of his brand, into a visual of the heavy-hitter suitors ultimately being rebuffed out of James’ loyalty and love for Cleveland. This entire episode made for around-the-clock news and Twitter frenzy. From the offices of LRMR, James has delivered a relentless reminder that’s he’s the world’s most wanted man in high tops. He needed the threat of leaving, even if there was never truly the intent.

What’s more, James and his guys have ramped up the launch of a new personal website and foreshadowed it as the place to find out first the big news on his free-agent choice – one that possibly won’t be made until he’s done marketing the LeBron James Skills Camp in Akron through Wednesday.

In the end, the Cavs can still offer James the most money, and no city will celebrate his arrival more than Cleveland will rejoice his refusing to leave. Cleveland fans felt like they had lost him, like he was going to get swept away into the world beyond Northeast Ohio. Something changed in the playoffs. Always, there was a sense that if he left there, the onus would be on the organization; that it didn’t do enough, that it didn’t surround him with the proper talent. Only this time, the Cavs did. James’ no-show performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston scarred him everywhere. He hadn’t delivered on the burden of an MVP, and suddenly the narrative of the story had dramatically changed.

Coach Mike Brown was fired, general manager Danny Ferry was pushed out and an awkward pursuit of Tom Izzo ensued under owner Dan Gilbert’s watch. Everything about James’ future in Cleveland felt so flimsy. In the end, Gilbert did get right the hiring of Byron Scott as coach, a man with an ability to make people feel confident about situations, to feel confidence in his presence.

Despite sources saying Scott’s old New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd(notes) didn’t back down from past criticisms when called by Cleveland officials, the unwavering praise of Chris Paul(notes) went a long way with the Cavs. Scott is a smart coach for James, a balance of old-school sensibility with a willingness to give his superstars complete freedom to dictate terms on the floor.

For all the New Jersey Nets’ promises of world treasures, the flashing of Pat Riley’s rings, the young talent of the Bulls and the calling of Madison Square Garden, this process has made some suitors skeptical of James’ seriousness. Even so, all the teams have to tell their fans that they had a great shot and wowed him and his buddies in the presentations.

Armed with a commitment from Amar’e Stoudemire(notes), the Knicks sent two executives to Cleveland on Saturday to run some cap numbers past James’ agent Leon Rose. James’ people have privately described the Knicks as a long shot, but New York has wisely tried to stay aggressive selling itself. For now, the Knicks are the one team with an All-Star caliber forward on the way.

The Knicks are willing to pay Stoudemire $100 million, something no one else with cap space is willing to do. New Jersey would take Stoudemire if James also promises to sign, a source said, but won’t meet his demands for a maximum contract as a solitary commitment.

Still, mostly this may turn out to be an exercise in lavishing LeBron James with what he craves the most: a lustful longing for his greatness. Deep down, LeBron had to walk out of those offices with an understanding that no one can make him a billionaire and no one can promise a circumstance much better than what he’s had in Cleveland these past seven seasons. For him to leave, there would be so much pressure to deliver a championship upon arrival, to honor the biggest free-agency score in history. And it leaves to you wonder whether he truly wants any of that.

LeBron James has always sold his hopes of wanting to conquer the world, of turning into a historically transcendent athlete and icon. All that sounds wonderful, but here’s what everyone does know: He’s going to be a wildly successful basketball player, maybe a five- or six-time MVP and, barring misfortune, an NBA champion.

And maybe most of all now, you get the idea that James is an overgrown teenager getting a few laughs with his buddies, driving home to Akron from this cattle call in Cleveland to watch cartoons, play video games and kill some time until he gives the nod to post the big news that maybe the rest of us should’ve known all along: He’s home.

PRETORIA, South Africa – David Villa is not even the richest and most famous player in Spain’s attacking line, let alone the Spanish team. Yet what Villa lacks in celebrity attraction he more than makes up with his performances on the field.


No player at this World Cup has been more productive than Barcelona’s new signing as Villa racked up the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Portugal that sent Spain hurtling toward the quarterfinals.

With four goals and the most enterprising and innovative thinking of any man in the tournament, Villa is the primary reason why Spain has recovered from its dismal start to the World Cup to restore its place as one of the favorites.

The 28-year-old has exceptional feet with the ability to turn any defender and create shooting space for himself. While Liverpool star Fernando Torres has looked shaky alongside him, Villa has been the shining light that has given Spanish fans hope of going all the way to the July 11 final.

Brazil and Argentina are leading the charge for the South American nations as both showed exceptional form in the round of 16. However, the Spanish challenge has hit top gear over the last three games and cannot be ignored.

The latest round of our World Cup rankings ahead of the quarters sees Brazil retain its place in the No. 1 slot. As the tournament enters its most critical stage, anything can happen.

1. Brazil (last ranking: 1) – Head coach Dunga has had his share of criticism, but he’s molded together a side that is producing a spectacular brand of soccer. Magnificent skills and attacking flair doesn’t stop them from being defensively resilient.
2. Spain (3) – That dismal opening defeat to Switzerland is now long forgotten and the Spaniards are starting to sense they can win back-to-back major tournaments. The European champion has steadily built momentum.
3. Argentina (2) – The Maradona show keeps on rolling and it is going to take something special to stop this juggernaut. Lionel Messi continues to impress and you sense this is a team with much improvement left in it.
4. Germany (6) – This young side has coped outstandingly without Michael Ballack, but a huge test lies ahead against Argentina. Miroslav Klose is at the peak of his powers and the team showed its counter-attacking threat by decimating England.
5. Netherlands (4) – The Dutch have looked typically stylish and efficient and will like their chances against Brazil. But Robin van Persie’s touchline argument with coach Bert Van Marwijk was a bad omen for a team that so often collapses mentally.
6. Uruguay (8) – Diego Forlan is far from being the only star on a side that owes just as much of its quarterfinal berth to Luis Suarez. Two-time champion Uruguay has grown in confidence with every game.
7. Ghana (13) – The last remaining African team has pride and passion on its side and is physically imposing. A great opportunity to become the first African semifinalist ever will undoubtedly spur the Black Stars on.
8. Paraguay (9) – The South Americans have somehow managed to scrape their way into the quarterfinals by scoring only three goals in four matches. The Paraguayans’ offense looked especially impotent against Japan.

Epic doesn't even begin to cover it.

After 10 hours, 163 games and almost 1,000 points, American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut were locked at 59-59 in the fifth set of their historic first-round match at Wimbledon when play was suspended for the second straight day due to darkness.


You read the score correctly: 59-59. When the Wimbledon final had a 16-14 final set last year, that seemed like a marathon. In comparison, this match was like running to the moon.

The pair started play on Tuesday, splitting four sets before play was halted due to a lack of light. They resumed Wednesday afternoon and figured to be on the court for around an hour to finish their fifth set. Improbably and amazingly, the men were still on Court 18 as the sun set at the All England Club seven hours later. Isner could barely move. Mahut looked punch-drunk. Yet they soldiered on, playing in front of a stunned crowd and a worldwide audience which grew by the minute, as word of the match spread through the sports world. On a day where the World Cup figured to be the top story in sports, two unheralded players on a distant court at Wimbleon stole the show.

The tennis itself wasn't especially riveting for most of the play on Wednesday as big serves, the speedy grass court and fatigue made for quick rallies and short service games. There were very few break chances — Mahut only had one break point prior to the 147th game and Isner just had four break points of his own — but the drama and mind-boggling length of the set more than made up for it.

Consider: The longest previous set at Wimbledon lasted 46 games. Isner-Mahut didn't just shatter the record, they obliterated it.

Among the other remarkable statistics from the match:

— It's the longest match in tennis history: 10 hours. The previous record was 6 hours, 33 minutes.

— Longest set in tennis history: 118 games.

— Most games in tennis history: 163 (previous record was 112).

— Both players broke the ATP record for most aces in a match. Isner had 98, Mahut hit 95. The previous record was 78. Combined, the two had 193 aces, more than double the old record of 96.

— Mahut had just three break points during the entire match.

— The first four sets took 2 hours, 54 minutes. The fifth set is at 7 hours, 6 minutes and counting.

— Mahut won 448 points to Isner's 428. Isner had more winners: 333 to 318.

— The final set is longer than the previous longest match in tennis history. That was 6 hours, 33 minutes.

— Isner had four match points, one at 11-10, two others at 33-32 and another at 59-58. The first and last match points came nearly six hours apart.

— At 50-50, Mahut had two break points and Isner promptly served a 134 mph ace.

— With Mahut serving at 52-53, the pair exchanged a 16-shot rally which ended with a Mahut forehand winner. It was the longest rally of the match. On the next point, Mahut dove for a backhand at the baseline following another long rally.

— The players took their first bathroom break at 58-58. While walking in the tunnel, they exchanged pleasantries, the first time they had spoken all evening.

— Mahut only qualified for Wimbledon after winning a qualifying match in a 24-22 final set.

— The match is almost two hours longer than the longest Major League Baseball game in history (an 8:06 game between the White Sox and Brewers in 1984).

— The scoreboard stopped working at 47-47.

We'll never see the likes of this again.

The match is scheduled to be completed on Thursday afternoon. But Wimbledon organizers may want to keep a court open for Friday, just in case.

Back in the 1990s, typing out “hello” on most cellphones required an exhausting 13 taps on the number keys, like so: 44-33-555-555-666.

That was before the inventor Cliff Kushler, based here in Seattle, and a partner created software called T9, which could bring that number down to three by guessing the word being typed.

Now there is a new challenge to typing on phones. More phones are using virtual keyboards on a touch screen, replacing physical buttons. But pecking out a message on a small piece of glass is not so easy, and typos are common.

Mr. Kushler thinks he has a solution once again. His new technology, which he developed with a fellow research scientist, Randy Marsden, is called Swype, and it allows users to glide a finger across the virtual keyboard to spell words, rather than tapping out each letter.


While many smartphones have features that auto-complete words, correct typos on the fly and add punctuation, Mr. Kushler is aiming for the next level.

“We’ve squeezed the desktop computer, complete with keyboard and mouse, into something that fits in a pocket. The information bandwidth has become very constricted,” he said. “I thought, if we can find a better way to input that information, it could be something that would really take off.”

Mr. Kushler says Swype is a big breakthrough that could reach billions of people. That’s not as ambitious as it sounds. To date, the T9 technology has been built into more than four billion devices worldwide. In 1999 its creators sold it to AOL for a reported $350 million; it is now owned by the speech-recognition company Nuance.

Swype’s software detects where a finger pauses and changes direction as it traces out the pattern of a word. The movements do not have to be precise because the software calculates which words a user is most likely trying to spell.

Capitalization and double letters can be indicated with a pause or squiggle, while spacing and punctuation are automatic. Mr. Kushler, who is chief technology officer of Swype, estimates that the software can improve even the nimblest text-messager’s pace by 20 to 30 percent.

Swype is now being used on seven smartphones in the United States, across all major wireless carriers, including the HTC HD2 and the Samsung Omnia II. By the end of the year, the company says its software will be on more than 50 models worldwide.

It does not have a deal with Apple, the king of touch-screen phones, but it is tinkering with software for the iPhone and the iPad and hopes to show it to Apple soon.

To make money, Swype charges phone makers a licensing fee for each device sold. It also sees opportunity in add-ons.

“We could have custom dictionaries for doctors or lawyers,” said Mike McSherry, chief executive of the company.

But Swype’s appeal goes beyond mobile phones, said Won Park, director of United States technology sourcing at Samsung.

“It could become the de facto standard for tablets, next-generation TVs or next-generation remote controls,” Mr. Park said. “It has tremendous potential.”

Swype’s executives also see its reach extending into public kiosks, smart home appliances, video game consoles and in-car navigation systems.

Some older input methods for mobile devices were based on scribbled gestures, like Palm’s Graffiti. But using Graffiti was slower than typing and forced people to learn an entirely new handwriting format to produce accurate results, said Gavin Lew, co-founder of User Centric, a consulting firm that studies user experiences with mobile devices.

“Swype-like applications rely on a well-known layout, the full qwerty keyboard,” he said. “One simply needs to target a specific letter rather than relying on a memory of how to draw a letter.”

As cellphones take on the functions of personal computers, Mr. Lew said, the need increases to quickly enter and search for information on them.

“These devices aren’t just phones anymore, which is why you’re seeing all these new technologies emerge,” he said. “The more we use them in our daily lives, the greater the need to be more efficient at inputting information.”

Mr. Kushler began experimenting with input methods in 2001, guided in part by his earlier work in helping people with disabilities use technology. He took note of the popularity of devices like those from Palm that used a stylus for input, but he saw room for improvement. He worked with Mr. Marsden to fine-tune the Swype software — which took a laborious seven years.

“The most important thing was that it could accurately figure out which word you wanted to spell,” Mr. Kushler said. “It needed to work no matter what.”

Swype is not the only start-up hoping to profit from innovations in this area. Many companies are trying to improve the way people type on touch screens, which are proliferating swiftly. The research firm Gartner expects global sales of touch-screen devices to reach 326.7 million in 2010, an increase of 97 percent from last year.

SlideIT, a start-up with offices in the United States and Israel, sells applications for touch-screen text input with a finger or stylus for Symbian, Windows Mobile and Android phones. The company says that since February its software has been downloaded more than 500,000 times.

Nuance, a company best known for speech recognition software, acquired a start-up called ShapeWriter that matches patterns traced onto a touch-screen keyboard with those of commonly written words. It is negotiating with phone makers to use its software, called T9 Trace.

Google is trying to let people skip the screen entirely by developing voice- and image-recognition technologies. Its Goggles application can analyze a photo of some text and translate it into a different language — no typing required.

Meanwhile, Swype is moving ahead with its own voice recognition feature, which it expects to add to smartphones this summer.

“We’re all about improving how people input information into their phones, whether through swiping or speaking,” Mr. McSherry said.

Global Wealth Surges

As the financial markets rebounded in 2009 and developing markets continued to grow, lost wealth around the world returned. Despite the volatile global economy, many households gained or regained millionaire status last year, according to a new report by the Boston Consulting Group. The study finds global wealth increased 11.5 percent in 2009, to $111.5 trillion, just short of 2007 levels. When measuring assets under management—cash deposits, money market funds, listed securities, and onshore and offshore assets, but not wealth attributed to investors' own businesses, residences, or luxury goods—the U.S. continued to lead with more than 4.7 million "millionaire households," followed by Japan and China. Singapore, a country with a population of about 5.1 million, had the greatest concentration of millionaire households: 11.4 percent of the country’s total. Wealth may have returned to precrisis levels last year, but confidence has not yet. BCG expects global wealth to grow an average 6 percent annually through 2014, led by robust economies in the Asia-Pacific, but Peter Damisch, a BCG partner and a co-author of the report, says people are still hesitant about investing. Many moved assets from private banks to state-guaranteed retail banks and are still waiting for either new opportunities or new confidence to reinvest, says Damisch.

No. 1: United States

2009 Population: 306.8 million*

2009 number of millionaire households: 4,715,000**
Percentage increase: 15.1 percent YOY**
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 56 percent**



Even though the U.S. real estate market remained weak, the stock market rebound helped boost the number of millionaire households 15.1 percent in 2009. The U.S. had the most millionaires by far, leading second-in-line Japan by 3,485,000 households. Millionaires represented a fraction of the U.S. population last year but held 56 percent of its wealth, according to Boston Consulting Group.

* Source on all slides: Population Reference Bureau
** Source on all slides: Boston Consulting Group. The year on year change in number of millionaire households was calculated using a constant exchange rate; BCG used yearend 2009 exchange rates to calculate the number of millionaire households in both 2008 and 2009.

No. 2: Japan

Population: 127.6 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 1,230,000
Percentage increase: 5.9 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 21 percent



The number of millionaire households in Japan grew by a 5.9 percent in 2009. Although No. 3 on the list China tightened the gap with a 30.7 percent increase, Japan still outpaced its developing neighbor by 560,000 households.

No. 3: China

Population: 1,331.4 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 670,000
Percentage increase: 30.7 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 50 percent



While developed countries struggled through the recession, China’s economy continued to boom, with gross domestic product growing 8.7 percent last year. The surge of commercial activity has created a growing nouveau riche population in China that includes entrepreneurs and investors, although they still represent a tiny fraction of the total population. Seeing opportunities in the growing wealthy demographic, luxury retailers have set up operations in major cities, and high-end real estate is drawing interest—for example, a $30 million house reportedly sold in Shanghai.

No. 4: United Kingdom

Population: 61.8 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 485,000
Percentage increase: 11.5 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 23 percent



As the financial markets improved, the millionaire population is rebounding in the U.K. Their numbers fell by more than half in the recession, according to a 2009 BBC report. The British Chambers of Commerce said the economy was showing signs of leaving recession in 2009, and gross domestic product ticked up 0.3 percent in this year's first quarter over the previous quarter.

No. 5: Germany
Population: 82 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 430,000
Percentage increase: 23.1 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 22 percent



Not only have Germany’s rich increased in numbers, apparently some have also heightened their sense of public duty. According to a report by CNBC, a group of German millionaires and billionaires founded a Club of the Wealthy and proposed to Chancellor Angela Merkel that they give 10 percent of their income as a "rich tax" for 10 years to address budget problems.


No. 6: Italy

Population: 60.3 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 300,000
Percentage increase: 7.6 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 27 percent



Italy’s economy contracted by 5 percent in 2009, but the number of millionaire households grew, and the rich increased their wealth, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study. The report shows that the increase in wealth was mostly a result of €85 billion that flowed into the country under an Italian tax amnesty on assets held in offshore accounts.

No. 7: Switzerland

Population: 7.8 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 283,000
Percentage increase: 8.4 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 44 percent



Switzerland, one of the wealthiest nations by personal income, also has the third-highest concentration of millionaire households—8.4 percent of total households, according to the Boston Consulting Group. In a sign of further strengthening, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economics recently raised its growth forecast for the economy in 2010 to 1.8 percent from 1.4 percent.

No. 8: France

Population: 62.6 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 280,000
Percentage increase: 11.2 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 19 percent



The French may enjoy high quality of life, but France did not make it into the top five for its number of millionaire households. Its gross domestic product last year dropped 2.2 percent, but the government expects GDP to pick up by 1.4 percent in 2010.

No. 9: Taiwan

Population: 23.1 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 230,000
Percentage increase: 21.1 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 37 percent



Home to manufacturers and such technology companies as Acer and Asus, Taiwan has a large number of millionaires, who represent 3 percent of total households, according to BCG. The wealthy in Taiwan enjoy a favorable tax regime. According to an article in Commonwealth Magazine on Chinapost.com, eight of Taiwan's 40 wealthiest people paid no taxes in 2005 and 17 paid just 1 percent of their income. The article adds that nearly 30 percent of households in Taiwan do not pay taxes, and many of them earn high incomes.

No. 10: Hong Kong

Population: 7 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 205,000
Percentage increase: 16.2 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 73 percent



In Hong Kong, 8.8 percent of households are millionaire households—the second-highest concentration in the world after Singapore, according to data from the Boston Consulting Group. Media reports say the stock market recovery and rising property prices in Hong Kong and China helped the richest add billions to their wealth in 2009.

No. 11: Canada
Population: 33.7 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 162,143
Percentage increase: 4.8 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 20 percent



According to the Boston Consulting Group, millionaire households controlled 20 percent of the wealth in Canada last year. Despite the financial crisis, wealth in the country grew an average of 4 percent from 2007 to 2009 and is expected to continue at that pace for the next five years, according to the study.

No. 12: Belgium

Population: 10.8 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 157,611
Percentage increase: 15 percent YOY



Belgium did not make the top 10 for number of millionaire households, but it did come in eighth for density: 3.5 percent of total households. Despite being a wealthy country, Belgium saw its public debt skyrocket last year, to nearly 100 percent of gross domestic product. The government hopes to balance its books by 2015.

No. 13: Netherlands

Population: 16.5 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 152,434
Percentage increase: 9 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 22 percent



The number of millionaires in the Netherlands dropped in 2008, reported CapGemini and Merrill Lynch, but made a rebound in 2009. According to Statistics Netherlands, 57 percent of the capital owned by Dutch households that evaporated in 2008 due the financial crisis returned in 2009.

No. 14: Spain

Population: 46.9 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 147,913
Percentage increase: 8.1 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 26 percent



The number of millionaire households is up, but Spain’s economy has not shown signs of recovery as convincing as other European economies—its gross domestic product increased only 0.1 percent in this year's first quarter, after contracting for six quarters. The European Commission forecasts that the country’s GDP will decline slightly in 2010 as unemployment increases to 19.7 percent.

No. 15: India

Population: 1,171 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 139,835
Percentage increase: 19.7 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 38 percent



India’s millionaire population, which soared in the boom before the global recession, contracted in 2008, according to Merrill Lynch and CapGemini. GDP growth slowed to 6.7 percent in 2009, but the Asian Development Bank expects the rate to accelerate to 8.2 percent in 2010.

No. 16: Australia

Population: 21.9 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 136,690
Percentage increase: 18.8 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 20 percent



In 2007, the number of millionaire households in Australia increased to 190,000 from 148,000 a year earlier, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Levels jumped significantly in 2009, and millionaire households controlled 20 percent of the country’s wealth, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

No. 17: Brazil

Population: 191.5 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 126,882
Percentage increase: 19.2 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 44 percent



Brazil’s recent economic boom created a new league of wealthy individuals. Millionaire households represented 44 percent of Brazil’s wealth in 2009. After the economy contracted by 0.2 percent last year, it heated up again in the first quarter 2010, growing 9 percent year-on-year, a record pace that exceeded forecasts.

No. 18: Singapore

Population: 5.1 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 122,697
Percentage increase: 35.4 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 53 percent



The chances of running into a millionaire are high in Singapore, which had the world’s greatest density of millionaires, who represented 11.4 percent of total households in 2009. They controlled 53 percent of the country’s wealth. Singapore’s economy shrank 2.1 percent last year but has improved, growing 13.1 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2010.

No. 19: Saudi Arabia

Population: 28.7 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 116,861
Percentage increase: 8 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 77 percent



The middle class makes up the vast majority of the population in Saudi Arabia, according to a report on gulfnews.com, but BCG research shows that millionaire households controlled 77 percent of the country’s wealth in 2009. Households with $5 million to $10 million of assets controlled the largest share: 46 percent.

No. 20: South Korea

Population: 48.7 million

2009 number of millionaire households: 92,045
Percentage increase: 27.7 percent YOY
Share of country’s wealth held by millionaire households: 19 percent



There were more millionaires in Korea last year compared with 2008. The economy held up through the recession, growing 0.2 percent in 2009. The Bank of Korea expects gross domestic product to expand 5.2 percent in 2010. BCG’s study says millionaires controlled 19 percent of South Korea's wealth last year, while nearly half of the wealth was represented by households worth less than $100,000.