Greatest trade ever? Citadel’s $16 billion haul smashes hedge fund records | CNN Business (2024)

FAQs

What is the highest trade ever recorded? ›

Probably the greatest single trade in history occurred in the early 1990s when George Soros shorted the British Pound, making over $1 billion on the trade. Most of the greatest trades in history are highly leveraged, currency exploitation trades.

1. Madoff Investment Scandal. Madoff admitted to his sons who worked at the firm that the asset management business was fraudulent and a big lie in 2008. 2 It is estimated the fraud was around $65 billion.

Citadel has generated roughly $74 billion in total gains since its inception in 1990, making it the most successful hedge fund of all time. Founded by Ken Griffin, Citadel was the second best-performing fund in 2023, raking in approximately $8.1 billion in profits last year.

Citadel, which ranked second in 2023, made $8.1 billion in profits after bringing in a record-breaking $16 billion in 2022. Its $74 billion in gains since inception rank it as the most successful hedge fund in history.

With a $10,000 account, a good day might bring in a five percent gain, which is $500. However, day traders also need to consider fixed costs such as commissions charged by brokers. These commissions can eat into profits, and day traders need to earn enough to overcome these fees [2].

1. George Soros. George Soros, often referred to as the «Man Who Broke the Bank of England», is an iconic figure in the world of forex trading.

Bridgewater Associates

Westport, Conn. Westport, Conn. In 1975, Bridgewater Associates was founded by Ray Dalio in his Manhattan apartment. Today Bridgewater is the largest hedge fund in the world and Dalio has a personal fortune of approximately $19 billion.

Ray Dalio is the founder of the world's biggest hedge fund firm, Bridgewater Associates, which manages $124 billion. Dalio stepped down as CEO in 2017 and retired as co-CIO in 2022, completing a transition that transferred majority control to the hedge fund's board.

Kenneth Griffin

Citadel has now made $74 billion for investors since its inception in 1990, more than any other hedge fund firm.

The SEC found that, between 2015 and 2020, Citadel Securities mismarked millions of sell orders due to a coding error in their automated trading system, obstructing regulatory oversight. The firm agreed to a settlement by consenting to a $7 million penalty, without admitting or denying the findings.

Who is the largest shareholder of Citadel? ›

Founded in 1990 by Ken Griffin, it has more than $58 billion in assets under management as of January 2024. The company has over 2,800 employees, with corporate headquarters in Miami, Florida, and offices throughout North America, Asia, and Europe. Founder, CEO and Co-CIO Griffin owns approximately 85% of the firm.

Kenneth Cordele Griffin (born October 15, 1968) is an American hedge fund manager, entrepreneur and investor. He is the founder, chief executive officer, co-chief investment officer, and 80% owner of Citadel LLC, a multinational hedge fund.

Hedge funds seem to rake in billions of dollars a year for their professional investment acumen and portfolio management across a range of strategies. Hedge funds make money as part of a fee structure paid by fund investors based on assets under management (AUM).

BlackRock, Inc. is an American multinational investment company. It is the world's largest asset manager, with $10 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2023. Headquartered in New York City, BlackRock has 78 offices in 38 countries, and clients in 100 countries.

As we reiterate here often, getting a job at hedge fund Citadel or electronic market making firm Citadel Securities, is hard. Fewer than 1% of people who apply are successful.

The most expensive publicly traded share of all time is Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK. A), which was trading at $458,675 per share, as of January 2022.

The Miami Heat, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Hornets, Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz came together in 2005 to make the largest trade in league history, a deal that notably sent Antoine Walker and Jason Williams to the Heat.

A day trade is when you purchase or short a security and then sell or cover the same security in the same day. Essentially, if you have a $5,000 account, you can only make three-day trades in any rolling five-day period. Once your account value is above $25,000, the restriction no longer applies to you.