Bridgewater, D.E. Shaw Among Top Hedge Fund Gainers of 2025

Core Insights - Bridgewater Associates' flagship money pool achieved record gains, with its Pure Alpha II macro fund returning 34% in 2025, marking its best performance ever [2][6] - D.E. Shaw & Co.'s strategies also performed exceptionally well, with its flagship multistrategy Composite hedge fund gaining 18.5% and Oculus achieving an estimated 28.2% [2] - Overall, hedge funds experienced strong gains, with industry returns projected to be the best in at least five years, driven by surging US stocks and market volatility [5] Group 1: Performance Highlights - Bridgewater's All Weather strategy rose 20% last year, contributing to the firm's double-digit returns across strategies [2][6] - Michel Massoud's Melqart Opportunities Fund surged 45%, while Millennium Management gained 10.5% and ExodusPoint achieved an 18% increase, its highest since inception [3][4] - AQR Capital Management's multistrategy offering returned 19.6% in 2025, showcasing the competitive landscape among hedge funds [8] Group 2: Strategic Changes and Management - Bridgewater has undergone significant changes under CEO Nir Bar Dea since 2023, including personnel changes and asset reductions aimed at improving performance [6] - Ray Dalio, the billionaire founder of Bridgewater, has completely exited the firm, selling his remaining stake and stepping down from the board [6][7] - The firm's AIA Labs fund, which utilizes machine learning for decision-making, raised over $5 billion and was up 11% last year [7]