Meet the highest-earning hedge fund managers tracked by Forbes
Ten years after Bear Stearns, hedge fund giants John Paul and Bill Ackman make cuts to their staff, suggesting instability within their financial institutions.
English financier Michael Platt and American investing legend James Simons earned more money than any other hedge fund manager in the world in 2017, according to the latest Forbes rankings.
Platt, who co-founded BlueCrest Capital Management, personally earned $2 billion as his firm produced a 54% net return on capital, Forbes reported. The 49-year-old fund manager was the only hedge-funder to surpass the multibillion benchmark.
Simons, the 79-year-old founder of Renaissance Technologies, ranked second with $1.8 billion in earnings. His windfall stemmed largely from the success of investments through Renaissance’s Medallion fund, which only uses money from Simons and other Renaissance employees. Robert Mercer, a billionaire who supported Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, resigned last year as Renaissance’s co-CEO.
Other top hedge fund earners in 2017 included David Tepper, the Appaloosa Management guru who ranked third with $1.5 billion, and Ray Dalio, the Bridgewater Associates founder who placed fifth with $900 million.
The top 25 hedge fund managers and traders in the world earned a combined $16.8 billion last year, marking the largest windfall since 2013.
Forbes’ entire list of this year’s highest-earning hedge funders can be viewed here.