Greatest Investors and Traders | Generated by AI
Question: Who are the greatest investors, hedge fund traders, stock traders, etc.?
Answer:
There is no single “greatest” investor or trader, as it depends on criteria like long-term compound returns, risk-adjusted performance, influence on the industry, consistency over decades, or legendary single trades. Here are some of the most widely regarded names across different categories, based on historical performance, reputation, and impact.
Legendary Value / Long-Term Investors
These focus on buying quality businesses and holding for years or decades.
- Warren Buffett — Widely considered the greatest investor of all time by many. Through Berkshire Hathaway, he achieved extraordinary compound returns over 60+ years using value investing principles from Benjamin Graham.
- Benjamin Graham — The “father of value investing” and Buffett’s mentor; his book The Intelligent Investor remains foundational.
- Charlie Munger — Buffett’s longtime partner; emphasized multidisciplinary thinking and “latticework of mental models.”
- Peter Lynch — Managed Fidelity Magellan Fund to ~29% annualized returns (1977–1990), one of the best mutual fund records ever.
Greatest Hedge Fund Managers / Quantitative Traders
These often delivered exceptional risk-adjusted or absolute returns, frequently in hedge funds.
- Jim Simons (Renaissance Technologies) — Founder of the Medallion Fund, widely viewed as having the best performance record in history (~66% annualized before fees from 1988–2018+). A mathematician who pioneered quantitative trading.
- George Soros — Famous for “breaking the Bank of England” in 1992 (shorting the pound), generating ~$1 billion in a day; strong macro trader.
- Ray Dalio (Bridgewater Associates) — Built the world’s largest hedge fund; known for “All Weather” portfolio and principles-based decision making.
- Steve Cohen (Point72 / formerly SAC Capital) — Exceptional short-term trading and stock-picking; consistently high returns.
- Ken Griffin (Citadel) — Built one of the most successful multi-strategy firms; strong performance across decades.
- Israel Englander (Millennium Management) — Leads one of the top-earning and largest hedge funds; multi-manager platform with consistent results.
Legendary Short-Term / Speculative Stock Traders
These are more known for shorter-term trading, big bets, or technical approaches.
- Jesse Livermore — Often called the greatest speculator/trader ever; made and lost several fortunes in the early 20th century; subject of the classic book Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.
- Paul Tudor Jones — Predicted and profited from the 1987 crash; excellent macro trader.
- John Paulson — Made billions betting against subprime mortgages in 2007–2008.
Quick Comparison Notes
- Long-term consistency → Buffett, Lynch, Simons (Medallion).
- Highest raw returns → Jim Simons’ Medallion Fund is in a league of its own.
- Biggest single-trade impact → Soros (1992 pound), Paulson (2008 crisis).
- Most influential → Buffett and Graham shaped modern investing the most.
Many current top performers (as of 2025) include Citadel (Ken Griffin), Millennium (Izzy Englander), and others, but historical legends like Simons, Buffett, and Soros tend to dominate “all-time greatest” discussions.
References:
- Investopedia: The World’s 11 Greatest Investors
- Institutional Investor: Highest-Earning Hedge Fund Managers
- Wikipedia: Jim Simons
- Investopedia: 9 of the Most Famous Hedge Fund Managers
- Strike Money: Best Stock Market Traders in History