Famed innovative tech investor Cathie Wood is having a far better 2025 than 2024, with the broad basket of Ark funds now comfortably in the green. Her flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) is up just over 7% in a single day, while the S&P 500 rose 1%. Indeed, it’s far too soon in the game to say that Wood has regained her market-beating edge. I think we’ll have to wait to see how her funds fare over the next 12-18 months.
In any case, high-growth tech is experiencing a bit of a comeback of sorts in the months following the painful post-Liberation Day sell-off that sent most stocks plummeting. And the recent slate of remarkable melt-up gains for Wood’s lagging ETFs, I believe, seems like a long time coming. It’s not just the flagship fund that’s been picking up steam in recent sessions, either. The ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG) is also having a moment, up close to 5% on Friday’s big session for disruptive tech. Each one of the Ark funds was up more than the market last Friday, a sign that the tides may finally be turning back in favor of the brave hyper-growers in tech.
Whether the gains mark the start of something more substantial remains the billion-dollar question. Either way, here are a few notable Ark ETFs that are probably worth picking up while there’s some fairly robust newfound momentum behind them.
ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF
The ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (ARKQ) is arguably the most exciting Cathie Wood fund to own as the next chapter of the AI book plays out. Indeed, generative AI was so yesterday. Looking into the second half of 2025 and into 2026, agentic AI and robotics could be the next big step that causes AI to unlock next-level productivity and profitability for a broad range of firms. Indeed, AI is a transformative technology that may still be underestimated by investors who are overly focused on the quarter-to-quarter results.
As a focused investor setting sights on the next several years, Wood seems to be playing the long game on the AI trend. In the ARKQ, a few names really stand out.
Elon Musk’s EV firm Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has a huge opportunity to show the world what its Cybercab is capable of. And while the Trump-Musk feud may be dominating headlines, Wood and company are likely looking at where Tesla will be well beyond the Trump administration. In any case, Tesla is Wood’s top ARKQ holding with a 10.9% weighting, and it’s an intriguing one. Another much-talked-about stock in the ARKQ is Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR), the AI software firm that requires no introduction. It’s been on an incredible run, gaining 448% in the past year alone. And the name doesn’t seem to be done yet, as it continues winning big-league contracts left and right.
Over the past year, the ARKQ is up a whopping 50%. With solid high-growth offerings that could stand tall as AI enters the autonomous and physical AI age, I do think the multi-year momentum in the ETF is sustainable.
ARK Fintech Innovation ETF
The ARK Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) surged 6.3% on Friday’s session, as the broad basket of fintech plays made up for lost time on what was a pretty upbeat day for risk-on assets.
The ETF’s top holding, Shopify (NYSE:SHOP), shot up 6.1% on Friday’s session, as a big-name analyst stated that the Canadian e-commerce firm was actually more of an underappreciated AI play. Indeed, of all the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) e-commerce firms, I’d argue Shopify seems to have the most AI savvy. In any case, I’m a huge fan of Shopify and the other financial tech plays under the hood of the ARKF. Crypto platform play Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) is another top holding that’s arguably the best way to play the crypto asset class.
Though it may be too late to chase ARKF after last week’s surge, I do think it’s a worthy name to watch as AI makes its way into the fintech scene, disrupting in ways that few see coming.
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