Cathie Wood
ARK Invest
Profile & Investment Philosophy
Cathie Wood's ARK Invest maintained its conviction in disruptive innovation in Q1 2026, rotating capital from Tesla into high-growth semi and healthcare names. Conviction in AMD, Robinhood, and Tempus AI increased significantly. Wood remains focused on a 5-year horizon, arguing that the current volatility in innovation stocks provides a historic entry point for long-term compounders.
Track Record
Cathie Wood founded ARK Invest in 2014 after AllianceBernstein rejected her thematic ETF concept. The flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) returned approximately 152% in 2020, briefly making Wood the world's best-performing active manager. AUM peaked at roughly $60 billion in early 2021 then collapsed to around $14 billion by 2023 as growth names sold off. Cumulative ARKK return since 2014 inception sits roughly flat through 2026 — investors who bought after the 2020 spike are still under water. ARK's research approach (open-source models, daily transparency) reshaped how ETF managers communicate. Wood was named Bloomberg's best stock-picker of 2020.
Signature Trades
Current Strategy (2026)
Wood's 2026 portfolio doubles down on five disruptive platforms: AI, robotics, energy storage, blockchain, and multiomic sequencing. Top ARKK positions include Tesla (still the largest), Coinbase, Roblox, Roku, Palantir, and a growing AI infrastructure basket. ARK published a 2026 Big Ideas report forecasting AI software revenue compounding at 40%+ annually and projecting Tesla at $2,600 by 2029 on robotaxi and Optimus. New additions include AI-native names and tokenization plays. Wood maintains that productivity gains from AI are deflationary and the Fed has overtightened — she's been calling for aggressive rate cuts since 2023. Bitcoin price target was raised to $1.5 million by 2030 in the latest research note.
BMI Counter-Take
Wood is the most divisive manager on Wall Street and the data supports both camps. Yes, ARKK is roughly flat since 2014 and trails the S&P 500 by 200+ percentage points. Yes, she nailed Tesla and Bitcoin when nobody else would. BMI's view: ARK funds are not portfolios, they're concentrated bets on a single thesis (exponential tech disruption). They belong in a satellite slot, not a core slot. The 2026 Big Ideas targets — $1.5M BTC, $2,600 Tesla — are not analysis, they're marketing. The research is genuinely interesting and worth reading; the price targets are not worth trading on.
Current Portfolio
LATEST 13F 2026-03-31Latest SEC Form 13F filing. Total portfolio value: $12.9 B. Holdings: 182 positions.
| Security | Shares | Δ vs Prev | Value ($) | Portfolio % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Inc. | 2.83 M | -2.9% | $1.05 B | 8.18 % |
| Advanced Micro Devices Inc. | 2.71 M | +5.4% | $552 M | 4.29 % |
| CRISPR Therapeutics AG | 11.3 M | +7.5% | $538 M | 4.19 % |
| Shopify Inc. | 4.18 M | +5.0% | $496 M | 3.85 % |
| Palantir Technologies Inc. | 3.11 M | -3.8% | $455 M | 3.54 % |
| Tempus AI Inc. | 9.61 M | +27.1% | $434 M | 3.38 % |
| Circle Internet Group Inc. | 4.51 M | +8.9% | $430 M | 3.35 % |
| Robinhood Markets Inc. | 6.00 M | +24.9% | $416 M | 3.24 % |
| Coinbase Global Inc. | 2.37 M | -6.7% | $414 M | 3.22 % |
| Teradyne Inc. | 1.25 M | -47.2% | $369 M | 2.87 % |
SOURCE: SEC Form 13F (2026-05-12). BMI Smart Money Tracker.