Ken Griffin’s flagship hedge fund at Citadel posted double-digit gains in 2025, navigating a turbulent year characterized by sharp market swings, trade tensions, and a late-year recovery in risk assets.
Citadel’s largest multistrategy fund, Wellington, gained 10.2% for the year, according to a person familiar with the firm’s performance who requested anonymity because the information is private.
Citadel’s tactical trading fund, which combines equities with quantitative strategies, delivered an 18.6% return in 2025. The firm’s fundamental equity strategy gained 14.5%, while its global fixed income fund advanced 9.4%, the person said.
Citadel declined to comment.
U.S. equities also finished the year strongly. The S&P 500 recorded a 16.4% gain in 2025, marking its third consecutive year of double-digit returns. The advance followed a sharp selloff in early April after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs, which briefly pushed the index close to bear market territory.
Citadel plans to return approximately $5 billion of profits earned in 2025 to investors as part of an effort to limit capital growth, CNBC previously reported. The move is expected to reduce assets under management to about $67 billion from roughly $72 billion.
Despite the year’s volatility, Wellington’s long-term performance remains robust. Since its inception in 1990, the fund has generated an annualized return of approximately 19%, according to the person familiar with the matter.