- Multistrategy hedge funds were mostly positive in August, according to Business Insider sources.
- Firms like Ken Griffin's Citadel made money for their investors, though many trailed equity markets.
- Michael Gelband's ExodusPoint and Ari Glass's Boothbay continued their strong years.
Sprawling multistrategy hedge-fund giants are built to make money in any type of market environment.
But that doesn't mean they dislike it when stocks steadily tick upward.
Big-name hedge funds, including Ken Griffin's $68 billion Citadel, were positive in August, people close to these money managers tell Business Insider. Griffin's flagship fund, Wellington, returned 0.9% last month, bringing its annual returns to 4.8%.
It was another month of gains for the Miami-based firm after it lost money consecutively in February and March this year.
Last month was a strong one for the firm's stockpicking and quant teams, a person close to the firm said. Citadel's equities-only fund was up 1.6% in August, pushing its returns to 8% for the year. The firm's tactical trading fund, a mix of fundamental stockpicking and quant, returned 1.9% last month, increasing its 2025 gains to 10.4%.
Global equity markets were up again in August, the fourth month of straight gains, ending the month with a year-to-date return close to 10%. The S&P 500 hit several all-time highs in the month despite the world's largest company, chipmaker Nvidia, showing signs of slowing growth.
It's been a strong year for some multistrategy managers outside of the biggest four, including Michael Gelband's ExodusPoint, which has leaned on its fixed-income prowess to power the firm to 10.3% returns through the end of August. Ari Glass, who runs $2.5 billion Boothbay, notched a 1.4% gain last month in his flagship fund, as his New York-based manager is up 9.8% in 2025.
Managers listed declined to comment. Return figures will be added to the table below as they are learned.
