Let us know about free updates
Ken Griffin hedge fund Citadel has violated smaller rivals so far this year, as he has stuck to market volatility unlocked by Donald Trump’s trade war.
According to anyone familiar with the issue, Citadel’s flagship Wellington Fund won 2.5% in the first half of 2025. Those who saw the numbers said that Bariasny and Exodus increased by 7.3 and 9.3 percent, respectively.
Managing around $660 billion, Citadel is one of the dominant players in so-called multi-manager funds, a sector that has inhaled billions of dollars from the world’s largest investors. Balyasny and Exoduspoint manage around $25 billion and $11 billion, respectively.
Multi-manager companies have numerous trading teams known as “pods” that trade different strategies in asset classes such as stocks, bonds, and products. They borrow a large sum of money from banks on juice returns, stick to strict risk management to control losses, making them attractive to large investors such as pension funds who want a stable return.
The Citadel was wrong with Trump’s tariff policy earlier this year. “We say we have to tear our portfolio and reconsider it,” Griffin said in May.
Last year, Citadel overturned most of its rivals by delivering 15.1% to investors. Since the company was founded 35 years ago, its annual net profit is around 19.2%.
