Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, speaks at the New York Economic Club at the Plaza Hotel in New York, November 21, 2024.
Brendan McDiarmid | Reuters
Citadel’s flagship hedge fund, led by billionaire investor Ken Griffin, posted double-digit gains in 2025, weathering a volatile year marked by wild market swings, trade tensions and a year-end rally in risk assets.
Citadel’s flagship multi-strategy Wellington fund, the largest, rose 10.2% in 2025, said a person familiar with the company’s earnings, who asked not to be identified because the information is private.
The firm’s tactical trading fund, which combines equity and quantitative strategies, rose 18.6% in 2025, the person said. Citadel’s fundamental equity strategy returned 14.5%, while its global fixed income fund rose 9.4%.
Citadel declined to comment.
of S&P500 It recorded a 16.4% increase for the year, marking the third consecutive year of double-digit annual increases. This marks a remarkable recovery from the collapse seen in early April after President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff announcements. At one point, the S&P 500 index was on the verge of entering bear market territory.
CNBC’s Leslie Picker previously reported that hedge funds plan to return about $5 billion in profits made this year to clients to reduce capital gains. The measure is expected to reduce assets under management from about $72 billion to about $67 billion.
The fund has returned 19% annually since its inception in 1990, and Wellington’s long-term track record remains strong, the people said.
