It was mentioned early on that USD7000 was a bargain for a first-class rtw. I suppose it depends on how the allowable routing fits your travel desires, but imo one of the best bargains is an SQ/BA pairing (see SQ's Americas web site) for around USD5800 (U.S. departures).

Besides being limited to those two carriers, a downside is that SQ is quite stingy with their version of Betsy's Bed, so this works best for solo travellers. But's it's a real bargain if it fits.

Unlike the OW fares that seem to allow churning around a continent, SQ doesn't allow significant backtracking. They do throw in a sidetrip from SIN (don't know the limits, but DPS is fine) and one from LON (more limited, with a fee for much beyond adjacent countries.)