Ken Griffin – a hedge fund billionaire and leading Ron DeSantis donor – doubled down on his support for investing in China, admitting that the communist country is “incredibly attractive to us as investors.”
In the recent Bloomberg profile on investment strategies pursued by Griffin at his hedge fund Citadel, the multi-million-dollar DeSantis backer highlighted how Citadel would enjoy a continued – and likely expanded – presence in China.
In a section titled “China Growth,” the article reveals that “Griffin is more upbeat on China, where he expects economic growth to surpass the government’s targets even though there’s a lack of confidence among investors.”
The article continues:
“There’s a general level of uncertainty as to the level of growth in China today,” he said. “We’re actually more constructive on growth and a bit north” of forecasts for a 5% expansion. Investor sentiment about the world’s second-largest economy has turned increasingly bearish, with Tuesday’s short-term policy rate cut drawing little enthusiasm from equity traders.
China’s economy probably slowed further in May, official data is expected to show on Thursday, President Xi Jinping’s 70th birthday. Shortly before the figures are published, the central bank will have a chance to cut the rate on one-year policy loans — a move that looks more likely after the surprise trimming of the seven-day reverse repurchase rate. Citadel remains interested in China for the long term, Griffin said.
“Irrespective of who’s the US president in the next cycle, I don’t think that’s going to change Citadel’s strategy” in China, he said. “The scale and scope of the Chinese equity market is incredibly attractive to us as investors.” Citadel is applying for a Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor license that allows international investors to participate in mainland China’s stock exchanges. Its affiliate Citadel Securities LLC won the same permit in February this year, the company said.
The stunning admissions follow intense scrutiny over Griffin’s financial exposure in Chinese markets and critiques of DeSantis’s 2024 presidential bid being fueled by establishment Republican, Wall Street donors.
