The hedge fund sector just delivered its most impressive performance in recent memory. Chris Hohn's fund led the charge, breaking profit records as equity markets climbed and global volatility created fresh opportunities across asset classes.

The numbers tell the story: the industry collectively generated $543 billion in gains last year. That's not small change. Rising stocks provided the obvious tailwind, but it was the swings in global markets that really enabled skilled managers to capitalize. When volatility spikes, it creates openings—whether you're playing momentum shifts, navigating currency fluctuations, or hunting for mispricings between correlated assets.

What's interesting here is the broader takeaway. Traditional finance continues to benefit from market disruption and uncertainty. Meanwhile, crypto and digital assets remain a different beast entirely. But both sectors share something: alpha generation depends on reading macro signals correctly and positioning accordingly.