London’s fund industry is bouncing back, and U.S. billionaires Steven A. Cohen and Ken Griffin are grabbing a piece of the action.

Griffin’s Citadel and Millennium Management, a hedge fund run by Israel Englander, have bulked up in London, where asset growth is outpacing the U.S. Point72 Asset Management, the family office that oversees Cohen’s wealth, is plotting a return to Europe’s financial hub by year-end, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

London lost ground with hedge fund investors earlier this decade as taxes rose on the highest earners and Europe’s debt crisis roiled markets. Now managers say trading opportunities are multiplying and dealmaking is picking up. Europe attracted $12.5 billion in the first half of the year, while funds focused on the U.S. had net outflows, according to a report from eVestment, a firm that tracks hedge funds.

“This is the first time London has looked really exciting for hedge funds since the European debt crisis in 2011,” said Ray Nolte, chief investment officer of SkyBridge Capital. The New York-based firm plans to boost investments in European hedge funds that seek to profit from events such as corporate restructurings, mergers and share sales.

The rebound is driving up demand for office space in Mayfair and other districts where hedge funds congregate. The industry’s growth contrasts with the bloodletting at Europe’s biggest banks, which are slashing thousands of jobs and closing trading desks in the face of tougher capital requirements.

David Fuller's view

Successful hedge fund managers may not be popular – they inspire too much envy.  They also vote with their feet, moving to where they can do business and avoid confiscatory taxation. 

A 50% tax rate and the threat of a ‘mansion tax’ by Liberal Democrats in the last coalition government was more than enough to drive them away.  The recent and unexpected Conservative majority victory in the last General Election, followed by George Osborne’s top income tax reduction to 45%, signalled that Britain was once again open for business.  That is obviously good for the country because there can be no widespread prosperity without wealth creation, which leads to more successful companies and more jobs.