Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg Bridgewater Associates’ flagship money pool posted record gains, while D.E. Shaw & Co.’s strategies soared as much as 28% to rank among the biggest hedge fund winners of 2025 when tariff-fueled market uncertainty presented a fertile hunting ground for traders. Bridgewater’s Pure Alpha II macro fund returned 34% last year, its best ever, while the All Weather strategy rose 20%, a person with knowledge of the matter said, asking not to be identified discussing private ...

Group 1 - Ken Griffin's Citadel hedge fund experienced a double-digit gain in 2025, successfully navigating a volatile market characterized by sharp swings and trade tensions [1] - Citadel's flagship Wellington fund achieved a return of 10.2% in 2025, while its tactical trading fund rose by 18.6%, the fundamental equity strategy returned 14.5%, and the global fixed income fund advanced 9.4% [2] - The S&P 500 index recorded a 16.4% gain for the year, marking its third consecutive year of double-digit growth, recovering from a downturn in early April [3] Group 2 - Citadel plans to return approximately $5 billion of profits to clients to limit capital growth, which is expected to reduce assets under management from about $72 billion to $67 billion [4] - The Wellington fund has a strong long-term track record, generating an annualized return of 19% since its inception in 1990 [4]