Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Yan Huo

Yan Huo (Chinese: 霍焱; born 1968) is a Chinese-born hedge fund manager and philanthropist. He serves as co-founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of Capula Investment Management LLP, a London-headquartered global alternative asset manager specializing in absolute return, enhanced fixed income, macro, and tail risk strategies with approximately $32 billion in assets under management.^[1]^[2]^[3] Educated with a BS in physics from Fudan University and both an MA and PhD in electrical engineering from Princeton University, Huo built his early career at JPMorgan in derivatives research and proprietary positioning before establishing Capula in 2005.^[1]^[2] In philanthropy, he is a trustee of Princeton University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fudan University, and the Huo Family Foundation, as well as a board member of Teach For China.^[1]^[2]

Early Life and Education

Origins and Upbringing

Yan Huo was born in China around 1969. He grew up amid financial constraints that initially hindered his aspirations for higher education, compelling reliance on external support to advance academically.^[4]^[5] Huo completed his undergraduate education at Fudan University in Shanghai, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics. This foundation in scientific principles preceded his transition to advanced studies abroad.^[6]^[1] Securing a scholarship as an international student from China enabled Huo to study in the United States, marking a pivotal shift from limited domestic opportunities to broader prospects. He subsequently pursued and obtained both a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical engineering from Princeton University, culminating in his PhD in 1993.^[4]^[6]^[7]

Academic Pursuits and Degrees

Yan Huo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Fudan University in Shanghai, China.^[1] Following his undergraduate studies, he enrolled at Princeton University in 1988, pursuing advanced research in electrical engineering.^[8] There, he completed a Master of Arts and a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical engineering by 1993.^[7]^[2] His doctoral work at Princeton focused on technical aspects of electrical engineering, aligning with his subsequent transition into quantitative finance roles.^[7] These degrees provided a strong foundation in quantitative and analytical disciplines, which Huo later applied in investment management.^[1] No additional formal degrees or academic certifications are publicly documented.^[2]

Professional Career

Tenure at JPMorgan

Yan Huo joined JPMorgan following his graduation from Princeton University in 1994, initially working in derivatives research.^[6] He later transitioned into proprietary trading, where he developed and traded the firm's fixed-income relative value strategy.^[9] During this period, Huo built and led JPMorgan's fixed-income proprietary trading team, focusing on G3 interest rate markets from bases in New York and London.^[7]^[10] His tenure, spanning approximately from 1994 to 2005, emphasized quantitative approaches to bond trading and relative value opportunities within fixed-income assets.^[11] Huo managed proprietary positions that capitalized on interest rate differentials and market inefficiencies, contributing to the firm's positioning in global rates trading.^[1] This experience in structuring and executing trades in derivatives and fixed-income products formed the foundation for his subsequent hedge fund strategies.^[5] Huo's leadership at JPMorgan involved assembling a specialized team for proprietary fixed-income activities, which later influenced his recruitment decisions at Capula Investment Management.^[9] His work prioritized empirical market analysis over directional bets, aligning with relative value methodologies that sought to exploit pricing anomalies across government bonds and related instruments.^[7]

Co-founding Capula Investment Management

In 2005, Yan Huo co-founded Capula Investment Management LLP in London with Masao Asai, establishing it as a hedge fund focused on fixed income relative value strategies.^[12]^[13] The firm emerged from a group of traders previously affiliated with JPMorgan's Proprietary Trading Group, where Huo had led efforts in derivatives research and trading, providing the foundational expertise for Capula's quantitative and risk-managed approach.^[13]^[2] Huo served as the initial chief investment officer, leveraging his background in proprietary trading to build a team emphasizing disciplined, data-driven decision-making over speculative bets.^[14]^[15] Prior to the founding, Huo had transitioned from JPMorgan to a role as head of fixed income at UFJ International, a move that positioned him to identify opportunities in global macro and relative value arbitrage amid evolving market dynamics post-2000.^[14] This experience informed Capula's launch as a spin-off entity, attracting initial capital from institutional investors drawn to the partners' track record in navigating complex derivatives markets.^[12] The co-founders prioritized a culture of humility and teamwork, contrasting with ego-driven trading environments, which Huo later attributed to sustainable performance.^[16] By its inception, Capula managed assets seeded through relationships built during Huo's banking career, setting the stage for growth into one of Europe's largest hedge funds.^[5] Capula's establishment reflected a deliberate shift from institutional trading desks to independent asset management, capitalizing on regulatory changes and the demand for specialized fixed income expertise following the consolidation of global banks.^[12] Huo and Asai structured the firm as a limited liability partnership to align incentives with performance, drawing on lessons from proprietary trading constraints at JPMorgan, where personal risk-taking was limited by firm capital.^[2] This model enabled rapid scaling, with early strategies rooted in empirical analysis of yield curves and credit spreads, avoiding over-reliance on directional market bets.^[13] The founding partners' complementary skills—Huo's quantitative modeling and Asai's macro trading—formed the core of Capula's engine, fostering a merit-based environment that prioritized verifiable alpha generation.^[14]

Leadership and Investment Strategies at Capula

Yan Huo has served as Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer, and CEO of Capula Investment Management LLP since co-founding the firm in 2005 alongside Masao Asai.^[14] In this capacity, he oversees the development and execution of the firm's investment strategies, drawing on his prior experience in fixed income derivatives at JPMorgan and as head of fixed income at UFJ.^[14] Huo's leadership emphasizes a partnership-driven culture that prioritizes humility, disciplined risk-taking, and performance through collective intelligence rather than individual ego, as reflected in his statement: "Being the best isn't just about being the smartest. It's also about being cool under fire. Ego doesn't deliver performance, humility does."^[16] Capula's core strategies under Huo's direction focus on absolute return, enhanced fixed income, global macro, and crisis alpha approaches, designed to achieve low or negative correlation to traditional equity and fixed income markets.^[17] The firm originated in fixed income relative value trading but expanded into discretionary macro strategies that analyze macroeconomic conditions, liquidity dynamics, and market flows to generate alpha across economic cycles and during crises.^[18]^[19] These strategies integrate intelligence gathering, dynamic position sizing, and rigorous risk management, with an independent risk team enforcing governance to preserve capital while pursuing consistent returns.^[19] Huo's investment philosophy prioritizes prudent risk mitigation and opportunistic positioning in tail events, exemplified by the launch of the Capula Tail Risk Fund in 2010, which targeted gains from market dislocations and delivered 11% net returns in its inaugural performance period.^[5] The firm's Global Relative Value Fund, rooted in Huo's fixed income expertise, returned 4.45% in 2008 amid broader market turmoil, underscoring a focus on relative opportunities in rates, credit, and currencies.^[7] Recent performance has supported Capula's growth, with revenue rising to £751 million and distributable profits reaching £305 million for the year ending March 2024, enabling expansions in multi-strategy offerings for institutional clients such as pensions and sovereign wealth funds.^[20] This track record reflects Huo's emphasis on adaptive, data-driven decision-making over rigid models, fostering resilience in volatile environments.^[14]

Philanthropy

Huo Family Foundation Initiatives

The Huo Family Foundation engages in selective grant-making to advance projects in education, neuroscience and psychology (with emphasis on the effects of digital technology on youth brain development, social behaviors, and mental health), public policy, and the arts, drawing on trustees' priorities without accepting unsolicited applications. Grants range from $20,000 to $10 million and undergo rigorous monitoring via financial reports, qualitative assessments, and direct beneficiary meetings to ensure measurable impact.^[21] Key research initiatives include the Huo Early-Career Fellowships, which provide funding for postdoctoral researchers to pursue independent investigations into causal pathways by which digital technology influences cognitive and psychological outcomes in children and adolescents, prioritizing empirical mechanisms over correlational studies. Complementing these are Junior Faculty Research Grants, supporting early-career academics in building autonomous research programs in aligned fields, and Special Projects, which offer substantial, multi-year awards for comprehensive studies open to scholars at any career stage. Applications for these programs closed on May 23, 2025.^[22]^[23]^[24] In education, the foundation has funded curriculum enhancement efforts, such as a £260,000 grant to ARK (Absolute Return for Kids) in early 2021 to develop science and mathematics programs for disadvantaged UK students, alongside ongoing support for international placements at institutions like Fudan University ($1.2 million awarded July 2021 for doctoral students in humanities and social sciences). Public policy grants include contributions to Policy Exchange, a UK think tank, as part of a 2021 funding round alongside ARK and Tate.^[25]^[26] Arts initiatives gained prominence during the COVID-19 recovery, with £1 million distributed in April 2021 across six grants: £200,000 each to the Royal Opera House (for new ballet and opera productions), National Theatre (for activity pipelines), London Symphony Orchestra (for fellowships amid tour disruptions), and the Old Vic (for freelance rehiring); plus £100,000 apiece to the Theatre Artists Fund (for non-government-aided performers) and Help Musicians (for musicians in crisis). Additional cultural support encompassed £150,000 to the Courtauld Institute in July 2021 for its Van Gogh self-portraits exhibition and £700,000 to the Oxford Internet Institute for a three-year Adolescent Wellbeing in the Digital Age program extending prior funding.^[27]^[26]

Educational and Cultural Support

The Huo Family Foundation, established by Yan Huo in 2009, allocates approximately two-thirds of its grants to education, supporting institutions and students across the United Kingdom, United States, and China.^[28] In 2023, the foundation awarded a $1 million grant to Teach for China, a nonprofit organization that recruits, trains, and deploys teachers to rural areas to promote equitable education access.^[29] Additionally, the foundation endowed the Huo Family Fellowship Fund at Princeton University, providing recipients with full tuition coverage for semesters abroad, a twelve-month stipend, and up to $10,000 for research and travel expenses.^[30] In the cultural domain, the foundation directs funding toward arts initiatives, including a grant to Tate for programs aligned with its mission to foster knowledge pursuit through cultural preservation and access.^[25] Yan Huo's personal philanthropy has supported major cultural institutions; for instance, a significant donation led to the naming of the Huo Pavilion within Princeton University's new art museum, opened in 2025, which houses three galleries dedicated to Asian art.^[31] He has also contributed to the Museum of Modern Art's annual funds, as recognized in its 2022–2023 donor report.^[32] These efforts reflect a strategic emphasis on enhancing educational equity and cultural heritage, with grants vetted for alignment with empirical outcomes in knowledge dissemination and community impact, as outlined in the foundation's 2024 impact report focusing on education, arts, and science.^[33]

Trusteeships and Broader Commitments

Yan Huo serves as a trustee of Princeton University, having been elected to its Board of Trustees in June 2022 for a six-year term.^[34] In this capacity, he contributes to governance decisions on academic programs, financial management, and institutional strategy, drawing on his expertise in investment management.^[6] He is also a trustee of Fudan University in Shanghai, supporting its development as a leading Chinese academic institution, and of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he advises on collections, exhibitions, and preservation efforts focused on global art, including Asian holdings.^[6] As co-founder and chair of the Huo Family Foundation, established to advance education, community welfare, and knowledge pursuits, Huo oversees grant-making and strategic initiatives, including recent commitments to capital projects in arts institutions such as gallery expansions.^[1]^[35] In October 2025, his personal philanthropy supported the naming of the Huo Pavilion at Princeton University's new art museum, housing galleries dedicated to Asian art.^[31] Beyond these roles, Huo demonstrated broader philanthropic commitment by signing the Giving Pledge in December 2020, pledging to donate the majority of his wealth to charitable causes, channeled primarily through the Huo Family Foundation to foster long-term societal impact in education and cultural preservation.^[4] This aligns with his stated mission to support knowledge-driven endeavors without specified timelines for fulfillment, emphasizing sustained giving over immediate distributions.^[36]

Political Involvement

Donations to Political Entities

Yan Huo has made substantial donations to the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom, totaling more than £1 million as reported in 2023.^[37] These contributions include £200,000 donated on November 21, 2019, shortly before the general election.^[38] Additional donations encompass £50,000 in 2020, £50,000 on December 1, 2022, and £50,000 on January 6, 2025.^[39]^[40]^[41] No verified donations from Huo to other major UK political parties, such as Labour, or to United States political entities have been publicly recorded, despite his US citizenship.^[37] His contributions align with Electoral Commission requirements for transparency in UK political funding, where donations over £500 must be declared.^[40] Huo's family foundation has also provided funding to politically aligned think tanks, including over $270,000 to Policy Exchange's US arm, an organization noted for its conservative policy advocacy.^[37] Such indirect support underscores broader influence on policy discourse, though distinct from direct party donations.

Personal Life

Family Background

Yan Huo is married to Dr. Xue Fang, a fellow Princeton University alumnus who serves alongside him as a trustee of the Huo Family Foundation, which the couple established in 2009 to support education, communities, and knowledge pursuits.^[42]^[43] The foundation's annual accounts explicitly describe Huo and Fang as husband and wife, noting their joint directorships and shared philanthropic commitments.^[42] Limited public information exists regarding Huo's parental or sibling background, with no verifiable details from primary sources on his upbringing beyond his Chinese origins and early education. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Fudan University in Shanghai prior to pursuing graduate studies in the United States.^[1] The Huo Family Foundation, focused partly on children's initiatives, suggests the couple has offspring, though specific details remain private.^[44]

Lifestyle and Interests

Yan Huo resides in London, maintaining a low public profile focused on family, professional responsibilities, and select cultural engagements.^[5]^[44] His interests in arts and culture are evidenced by his election to the board of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in December 2023.^[8]^[6] This role aligns with the Huo Family Foundation's support for a 2024 exhibition at the museum, promoting curatorial excellence and cultural exchange, though such initiatives stem from his broader philanthropic commitments.^[33] Huo's trusteeships at institutions like Princeton University and Fudan University further indicate a sustained personal engagement with education and academic pursuits, reflecting his background in electrical engineering and a stated emphasis on the pursuit of knowledge.^[6]^[2] No public records detail recreational hobbies such as sports or travel, underscoring his preference for privacy outside professional and institutional roles.^[4]

References

[1]
Trustees – Huo Family Foundation — Dr Yan Huo, Dr Xue Fang…
Yan Huo is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Capula Investment Management LLP. Prior to co-founding Capula in 2005, Yan spent most of his ...
[2]
Yan Huo - Princeton Center on Contemporary China
Yan Huo is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Capula Investment Management LLP. Capula is a global alternative asset manager headquartered in ...
[3]
Trading and Research Summer Internship 2026 - Capula
Capula Investment Management is a leading global hedge fund with an AUM of $32 billion. We manage absolute return, enhanced fixed income, macro and alpha ...<|separator|>
[4]
Yan Huo - The Giving Pledge
Dec 21, 2020 · I was a student from China who, thanks to the kindness of others, was given a scholarship to study in the US. People took a chance on me and, in ...Missing: JPMorgan origins
[5]
Yan Huo - The 40 Highest-Earning Hedge Fund Managers - Forbes
Mar 1, 2012 · Huo, a 43-year-old former JPMorgan trader who launched $9.3 billion Capula with partner Masao Asai in 2005, won Goldman Sachs' love back in 2008 ...<|separator|>
[6]
Yan Huo *94 EE - Many Minds, Many Stripes - Princeton University
Huo is a trustee of Princeton University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Fudan University and the Huo Family Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. and a master's degree ...
[7]
None
Nothing is retrieved...<|separator|>
[8]
Yan Huo - Capula Investment Management LLP | LinkedIn
Yan Huo, Capula Investment Management LLP, Princeton University, About, Co-founder and chief investment officer of Capula Investment Management LLP.
[9]
Capula Investment Management:Opportunities ahead in relative value
Aug 17, 2008 · Mr. Huo developed and traded JPM's fixed-income relative value strategy during his tenure there and persuaded most of his former team members to ...
[10]
[PDF] G-Resources Group Limited
Jul 31, 2025 · Mr. Yan Huo was a member of the J.P. Morgan proprietary trading group based in New York and London, focusing on G3 interest rate markets for the ...
[11]
Yan Huo net worth — Sunday Times Rich List 2023
May 19, 2023 · Huo's career in financial trading started at JP Morgan. He worked in research before building and leading a bond-trading unit. In 2005 he and a ...<|separator|>
[12]
Capula Investment Management | Institutional Investor
May 26, 2015 · Capula Investment Management was launched in 2005 by traders Yan Huo and Masao Asai as a spin-off from UFJ International, the investment ...
[13]
[PDF] Capula Global Relative Value Fund Limited
Nov 19, 2010 · Capula Investment Management was formed in 2005 by former members of JP Morgan's Proprietary Trading Group, led by Yan Huo, CIO. Capula is a UK ...
[14]
Capula Investment Management: Driven by Performance Powered ...
We manage assets for some of the world's most astute institutional investors including corporate and public pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, foundations ...What We Do · Working at Capula · Contact · Funds
[15]
Yan Huo Of Capula Investment Owns These Hedge And Private ...
Jan 2, 2025 · Yan Huo, a veteran of the hedge fund industry, has an extensive career that started at JP Morgan, later founding his company, Capula Investment Management.Missing: biography background
[16]
Culture - Capula Investment Management
“Being the best isn't just about being the smartest. It's also about being cool under fire. Ego doesn't deliver performance, humility does.” Yan Huo. Co-Founder ...
[17]
Capula Investment Management - AMG
Founded by CIO and Managing Partner Yan Huo in 2005, Capula is based in London with affiliated entities in Greenwich, CT, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, and ...
[18]
[PDF] Investment in Capula, the UK-based Asset Management Company
May 12, 2025 · Capula is an alternative asset management company established in 2005 by co-founders Yan Huo and Masao. Asai. As of the end of 2024, its assets ...
[19]
What We Do - Capula Investment Management
### Summary of Capula's Investment Strategies and Leadership
[20]
Hedge fund Capula more than tripled its profit, nearly doubled its pay
Jan 10, 2024 · Revenue at the partnership was up from £271m ($345m) to £751m ($955m), a near tripling. Distributable profit was up even more dramatically – from £99m ($125m) ...
[21]
Grants - Huo Family Foundation
The Huo Family Foundation is characterised by the personal connections which it cultivates with grant recipients. The Trustees fund projects and initiatives.Funding Opportunities · Special Projects · Huo Early-Career Fellowships
[22]
Huo Early-Career Fellowships – Grant Application Information
The Huo Family Foundation invites applications for early-career fellowships to support talented and promising postdoctoral researchers on the path to ...
[23]
Junior Faculty Research Grants - Huo Family Foundation
The Huo Family Foundation invites applications for junior faculty research grants to support early-career researchers to develop further their own research ...
[24]
Special Projects – Huo Family Foundation
The Huo Family Foundation invites applications for special projects. These larger and longer-term research awards would allow researchers of all career stages, ...
[25]
The Huo Family Foundation has Awarded Funding for Three New ...
The Huo Family Foundation has confirmed funding for three new grants to ARK, Policy Exchange and Tate. · A donation of £260,000 has been awarded to ARK to ...Missing: philanthropy initiatives
[26]
The Huo Family Foundation donates over £2m to three recipients
Yan Huo, the founder of The Huo Family Foundation, said: “The Foundation is delighted to award these new grants which will all play a role in furthering our ...
[27]
The Huo Family Foundation awards six new grants to support the Arts
Yan Huo, founder of The Huo Family Foundation, said: “The performing arts enrich our lives, so it is sad to see how severely the pandemic has affected the ...
[28]
Education - Huo Family Foundation
The Foundation supports educational institutions and students in the UK, US and China. Grants to education make up approximately two thirds of our giving to ...Missing: Yan | Show results with:Yan
[29]
The Huo Family Foundation donates $1 million to support equitable ...
The Huo Family Foundation has awarded a $1 million grant to Teach for China (TFC), a non-profit dedicated to recruiting, training and placing teachers.Missing: initiatives | Show results with:initiatives
[30]
Huo Family Fellowship Fund - Princeton Graduate School
Fellows will receive full tuition for the semester(s) abroad, a twelve-month stipend and up to $10,000 in additional funding to support research and travel.
[31]
Venture Forward gifts name multiple spaces within the new ...
Oct 7, 2025 · The Huo Pavilion is named for a major gift from Yan Huo *94, and contains three galleries dedicated to Asian art. ... Huo is a University trustee, ...
[32]
[PDF] Donors 2022–2023 | MoMA
Yan Huo. Rosamond Ivey. Carl Jacobs Foundation. Pamela J. Joyner and. Alfred J ... contributed $500 or more to the Annual Education Fund, Annual Exhibition Fund, ...
[33]
[PDF] Impact Report - 2024 - Huo Family Foundation
In 2024, the Huo Family Foundation had the privilege of supporting remarkable institutions dedicated to creating meaningful change in education, science, and ...
[34]
Seven elected to Princeton Board of Trustees
Jun 27, 2022 · Yan Huo and Carol Quillen, who were elected by the board to serve ... Huo is a trustee of Fudan University and the Huo Family Foundation.<|control11|><|separator|>
[35]
[PDF] Impact Report 2023 | Huo Family Foundation
... Yan Huo, Julia Drayson, Philip Michaels,. Dr Yu Qiao, Dr Sam Lowe, Dr Xue Fang, Nancy Montmarquet, Dr Ernst Vegelin. Page 21. 35 Huo Family Foundation.
[36]
The Giving Pledge welcomes 13 new signatories
Dec 21, 2020 · Yan Huo is Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Capula Investment Management LLP. ... Foundation. He held the unpaid position ...
[37]
UK thinktanks urged to be transparent about funding as $1m US ...
Aug 4, 2023 · It also took more than $270,000 from the family foundation of Yan Huo, a hedge fund magnate with US citizenship who has donated more than £1m ...Missing: Capula | Show results with:Capula
[38]
POLITICAL DONATIONS DATABASE : Mr Yan Huo ... - UKPOL.CO.UK
On 21/11/2019, Mr Yan Huo donated £200,000.00 to the Conservative and Unionist Party. The purpose of the donations was for . Download all Data (.csv file) ( ...
[39]
Top donors to political parties in United Kingdom for 2020
Yan Huo. £50,000.00(0%). #91. Richard W Lewis. £50,000.00(0%). #92. Broadland ... Methuen Liberal Trust Fund. £10,891.47(0%). #313. Mohammad A Chohan. £10,800.00 ...
[40]
POLITICAL DONATIONS DATABASE : Yan Huo to Conservative and ...
DETAILS OF DONATION On 01/12/2022, Yan Huo donated £50,000.00 to the Conservative and Unionist Party. The purpose of the donations was for .
[41]
Conservative Party Donations Q1 2025 - The Milton Project
Yan Huo. Individual. View on Companies House. £50,000.00. Cash. 06/01/2025. House of Commons. Public Fund. View on Companies House. £433,682.60. Public Funds.
[42]
[PDF] Huo Family Foundation (UK) Limited Annual report and financial ...
Yan Huo, Xue Fang and Philip Michaels are common directors and trustees of both the Huo Family Foundation and the Foundation. The objects of the Foundation are ...
[43]
https://givingpledge.org/pledger/yan-huo/
[44]
[PDF] China town - Mark Hollingsworth
Yan Huo and his wife Xue Fang have a home in Wycombe Square, W8, and have set up a children's charity called The Huo Family Foundation. ... Born in Hong Kong ...Missing: parents origin