Billionaire investor Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, addressed the Economic Club of New York at The Plaza Hotel in New York on November 21, 2024. His company's flagship hedge fund, Citadel, achieved double-digit growth in 2025, steering through a challenging year characterized by significant market fluctuations, trade tensions, and a late-year surge in risk assets.
According to a source acquainted with the firm's private returns, Citadel's leading multistrategy Wellington fund, its largest, increased by 10.2% in 2025. Additionally, the firm's tactical trading fund, which combines equities with quantitative strategies, saw an 18.6% rise. Citadel's fundamental equity strategy reported a 14.5% return, while its global fixed income fund grew by 9.4%.
Citadel chose not to comment on these results.
The S&P 500 achieved a 16.4% increase for the year, marking its third consecutive year of double-digit growth. This represents a remarkable recovery from the downturn experienced in early April after President Donald Trump's announcement of comprehensive tariffs. During that time, the S&P 500 was nearly entering bear market territory.
Citing CNBC's Leslie Picker, plans have been reported for the hedge fund to return approximately $5 billion of this year's profits to clients in an effort to manage asset growth. This action is anticipated to reduce the fund's assets under management from around $72 billion to approximately $67 billion.
Moreover, the Wellington fund's long-term performance remains robust, boasting an annualized return of 19% since its inception in 1990, the source added.