Whenever people talk hedge fund IPOs, the name Citadel inevitably comes up. The $20 billion firm found by Ken Griffin is sometimes described as an investment bank masquerading as a hedge fund, with diverse operations that go far beyond ordinary hedge fund operations.

And now it seems that the much talked about initial public offering may finally happen later this year. The latest issue of Business week reports the Citadel “would consider” an IPO. It’s not clear what it means that they “would consider” an IPO. Doesn’t that kind of mean they are considering an IPO?

The hoopla was started when Citadel CFO Gerald Beeson told BusinessWeek that an "IPO is something we'd consider. It would be a byproduct of our wanting to expand our firm to create an even more diverse and permanent institution."

A Hedge Fund's Savvy Ascent [Business Week]