Billionaire Ken Griffin , founder and CEO of Citadel, said playing defense is not the best strategy in times of turmoil and volatility, and it almost always backfires on investors. “In finance, when you’re playing defense, you’re almost certainly losing,” Griffin said to Citadel’s new class of summer interns Thursday evening. “There’s no other way to put it. Every time a portfolio manager tells me ‘I’m going on defense,’ I’m waiting to watch the red, because that tends to be what happens next.” Griffin, whose hedge fund oversees $66 billion in assets as of June 1, thinks cash would be a better place to hide out than what are often considered “safe trades” in a risk-off environment. “If you are going on defense, just go to cash. Otherwise, you’re just in the ‘safe trades,’ where everyone else has already gone – and the safe trades are often where the losses are,” he said. Investors have been grappling with an extremely turbulent market this year as President Donald Trump’s policies on trade, foreign relations and taxes continue to be unpredictable. Global geopolitical risks have also intensified after Israel’s airstrikes on Iran last week. Conflict between the two nations has stretched into a fourth day . The volatility in oil prices raised new concerns about price pressures , which had just shown signs of easing. The list of worries continue to complicate the Federal Reserve’s direction for interest rates. “We’ve been extraordinarily good over the years at coaching people to be more risk neutral in their behavior. Most humans are risk averse,” Griffin said. “In finance, the closer you are to risk neutral, the more optimal your decision-making is from a profitability perspective.” Citadel’s internship program is highly selective and competitive. More than 108,000 students applied for over 300 positions this year. The firm’s acceptance rate is lower than those of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . Citadel has been “incredibly successful” at “creating a culture of real risk takers, people who are willing to step up and to occasionally have a bad day, because unless you’re willing to have a bad day, you’re not going to have a great day,” Griffin said.
Check out the companies making headlines before the opening bell on Wall Street. U.S. Steel — U.S. Steel shares jumped 5%s after President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Friday approving its merger with Japan’s Nippon Steel. The companies also signed a national security agreement that includes a golden share for the U.S government. Although U.S. Steel did not specify what powers the government would wield with its share, Trump said on Thursday that the golden share gives the U.S. president ” total control .” Roku — The streaming platform jumped 8.5% after announcing an exclusive partnership with Amazon that gives advertisers access to what the two called “the largest authenticated footprint in connected TV .” The agreement enables advertisers to reach roughly 80 million U.S. households through the Amazon platform. Advanced Micro Devices — The chipmaker added more than 2% after a price target increase from Piper Sandler. After AMD’s quarterly pre-quarter close call on Friday, Piper said it expects AMD’s AI business to surge after the third quarter when China-related charges have passed, and noted increased conviction among investors about a key hyperscaler client. EchoStar — The satellite company jumped more than 40% after Bloomberg News reported late Friday that President Donald Trump had pushed the head of the Federal Communications Commission to resolve a spectrum dispute. The company has threatened to file for bankrupty protection and claims FCC threats blocked its ability to decide on a 5G network buildout. Celsius — Shares of the energy drink company rallied about 4% after TD Cowen upgraded the stock to buy from hold , saying its “growth story is heating back up” and shares should trade higher this year. The investment bank said it confident in the Celsius brand, smooth integration of the company’s Alani Nu acquisition and wider distribution next year. Victoria’s Secret — Shares added 3% following a report that activist investor Barrington Capital Group has built a stake in the retailer. Barrington intends to push Victoria’s Secret to overhaul its board and refocus its business, the Wall Street Journal said, citing unnamed sources. Sage Therapeutics — Sage soared 35% after agreeing to be acquired by Supernus Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth $12 a share, or $795 million. The deal would accelerate diversify Supernus’ revenue base and add FDA-approved postpartum depression drug treatment Zurzuvae, according to a statement. Sage shareholders would receive $8.50 a share in cash and a non-tradable contingent value right payable upon certain specific milestones worth up to $3.50 per share. Sarepta Therapeutics — The biopharmaceutical company plunged more than 37% after Sarepta reported the death of a second patient receiving its Elevidys gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Sarepta halted shipments of Elevidys and is taking steps to improve safety for non-ambulatory patients. — CNBC’s Jesse Pound and Michelle Fox contributed reporting.
The long-running rivalry between the country’s top premium credit cards is about to heat up again.
JPMorgan Chase announced last week that a refresh of its Sapphire Reserve — the travel and dining rewards card that went viral when it arrived in 2016 — was imminent.
In response, American Express on Monday said that “major” changes were coming to its consumer and business Platinum cards later this year. While short on details, the New York-based card company said that its update would be its largest ever investment in a card refresh.
“We are going to double down on the things we know based on the data that our card members love,” said Amex President of U.S. Consumer Services Howard Grosfield in an interview. “But more importantly, we’ll bring a whole bunch of new and exciting benefits and value that will far, far, far exceed the annual fee.”
The new Platinum card will launch in the fall with enhanced benefits around lounges, dining and events, Grosfield said.
American Express pioneered the premium credit card space decades ago with cards that bundled perks at airlines and hotels with access to its own network of high-end airport lounges. But JPMorgan shook up the industry in 2016, igniting stiff competition among card issuers with a lavish sign-on bonus and other incentives for its Sapphire card.
The expectation among industry experts is that both companies will offer ever-longer lists of perks in travel, dining and experiences like concerts, while potentially raising their annual fees, as has been the pattern with recent updates.
The Platinum card has a $695 annual fee, while the Sapphire has a $550 fee.
On Reddit and other forums, card users circulated rumors that JPMorgan was hiking the annual fee on its Sapphire product to $795. A JPMorgan spokesperson declined to comment.