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Ken Griffin Warns about “Defensive Trades”
Congress trading alerts, stock forecasts, plus Ken Griffin's warning on defensive trade
David Love
June 18, 2025
QUIVER PREMIUM
Check out our top Performing Strategies
Each week, we are highlighting the top Quiver Strategies trending right now:
In today’s edition:
POLITICS
Congress Trades & News
Insights from our Congress Trading Dashboard
Several politicians & members of Congress have already made millions of dollars in the stock market in 2025:
The Senate just passed the GENIUS Act 68-30, marking the first major federal regulation for Stablecoins. This bipartisan bill requires full reserve backing, monthly audits, and gives oversight to the Fed and FDIC.
With regulatory clarity, banks and major retailers could soon issue their own stablecoins - potentially transforming the $160B market. Critics worry about industry loopholes and bailout risks, but the bill's passage signals a new era for digital assets.
Next up: House debate in the coming weeks, where consumer protection and market stability will take center stage.
In other news we have some Congress trades to cover this week:
Rep. John Boozman (R) has filed numerous trades traded on 5/30/25 including:
Purchased up to $15k of Meta currently up +8.60% on trade vs an S&P 500 +1.96%
Purchased up to $15k of Raytheon. (RTX) is up +7.91 vs an S&P 500 +1.96
Rep. Julie Johnson (D) has bought up to $15k in General Dynamics, a defense contractor. She currently sits on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. (GD) has dropped -3.39% since the trade vs and S&P 500 up +177%
Rep. James Comer (R) filed a single stock purchase of Palantir up to $15k on 2/11/25 after President Trump was inaugurated. (PLTR) has now risen 91% since the trade vs a flat S&P 500 of -0.38%.
We aught a new STOCK Act Violation. It includes one of the wildest trades we’ve ever seen. Rep. Tim Moore (R) just filed an 4/17/25 purchase of a triple leveraged Tech ETF (TQQQ). He purchased up to $100k and it has now risen. 66% since purchase.
DATA ROUNDUP
Featured Quiver Datasets
Here’s an overview and data/product updates at Quiver this month:
Company Analyst Ratings & Stock Forecasts
We wanted to highlight the Stock Forecast section, now available on individual company stock ticker pages!
This new feature provides insights into Wall Street analysts' price targets and ratings for stocks, helping you make more informed investment decisions.
We source this data from Financial Modeling Prep, a stock market data API covering real-time & historical stock prices, market news, and stock fundamentals.
For example, our Tesla (TSLA) forecast page showcases:
Analysts Ratings: Understanding Market Sentiment
Analyst ratings provide a snapshot of professional opinions on a stock's future performance. For example, Tesla (TSLA) has 46 ratings:
23 analysts recommend "Buy" – signaling confidence in the stock's growth potential.
14 suggest "Neutral" – indicating a balanced outlook with limited upside or downside.
9 advise "Sell" – highlighting potential risks or overvaluation concerns.
Why It Matters:
These ratings reflect the collective sentiment of Wall Street experts, helping retail investors gauge whether a stock aligns with their investment strategy. A high number of "Buy" ratings could indicate strong growth prospects, while "Sell" ratings may signal caution.
How to Use It:
Investors use this data to:
Compare sentiment across multiple stocks to identify promising opportunities.
Balance their portfolios by avoiding stocks with excessive "Sell" recommendations.
Monitor changes in analyst ratings over time to detect shifts in market confidence.
Explore the Stock Forecast section today to unlock smarter investing strategies!
This tool empowers you with a clear view of market sentiment and expert predictions, all in one place.
Explore the new feature today and stay ahead in your investment strategy!
Insights from our Quiver Dashboards
NEWS
Unleashing Alpha: Ken Griffin’s Case Against Defensive Investing
Citadel founder Ken Griffin opened his remarks to incoming interns with a stark warning: in turbulent markets, “playing defense” is a losing proposition. He argued that traditional safe-haven trades often underperform in volatility, advising portfolio managers to hold cash rather than crowd into assets deemed “low risk.” His message underscored a broader hedge-fund ethos that nimble, risk-neutral positioning outmatches defensive postures when uncertainty peaks.
Griffin detailed that Citadel’s $66 billion in assets thrives on active stances, not on hiding in so-called safety trades. He noted that once everyone piles into the same defensive bets, those instruments become crowded and susceptible to sharp drawdowns. Instead, he urged, “just go to cash” if truly seeking preservation, bypassing the pitfalls of overbought haven plays.
Market Overview:
Ken Griffin warns that defensive “safe trades” tend to lose value in volatile markets
Cash is positioned as the only reliable refuge when risk appetite evaporates
Citadel’s $66 billion hedge fund prioritizes active, risk-neutral strategies
Key Points:
Defensive clustering creates crowded trades vulnerable to rapid sell-offs
Citadel’s culture rewards calculated risk-taking and rapid adaptation
Internship program emphasizes real-world risk management over theoretical safety.