Global stock turmoil hits Gates share sale
PC World | at | by Mike
Bill Gates sold over 20 million shares of Microsoft stock last month, and turmoil in the global stock markets probably shaved a few million dollars off of the money he made.
The Microsoft chairman was still selling off the final block of shares early last week when the world's stock markets began to fall. The decline was prompted by several factors including a share sell-off in Shanghai and fears that Japan may raise interest rates.
The sale of shares by a company executive is not unusual, and the shares sold by Gates were only a small part of his total Microsoft holdings. But the sales were notable because they coincided with the downturn in the stock market.