Ken Griffin’s flagship hedge fund at Citadel rises 10.2% in volatile 2025

Billionaire investor Ken Griffin’s flagship hedge fund at Citadel climbed double-digits in 2025, navigating a volatile year marked by sharp market swings, trade tensions and a year-end rebound in risk assets.

Citadel’s flagship multi-strategy Wellington fund, its flagship and largest, is up 10.2% in 2025, according to a person familiar with the firm’s returns who asked to remain anonymous because the information is confidential.

The company’s tactical trading fund, which blends stocks with quantitative strategies, is up 18.6% in 2025, the source said. Citadel’s core equity strategy returned 14.5%, while its global fixed income fund gained 9.4%.

Kale declined to comment.

S&P 500 It gained 16.4% for the year, locking in its third straight double-digit annual gain. This marks an impressive recovery from the debacle seen in early April following President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement. At one point, the S&P 500 was on the verge of closing in bear market territory.

The hedge fund plans to return nearly $5 billion in profits this year to clients in an effort to limit capital growth, CNBC’s Leslie Picker previously reported. The move is expected to reduce assets under management from about $72 billion to about $67 billion.

Wellington’s long-term performance has been strong as the fund has generated a 19 percent annualized return since its inception in 1990, the source said.