A well-known ETF has had a challenging time in recent years.
If investors don’t have any desire to pick individual stocks, there are other options out there to put money to work in the market. Buying an exchange-traded fund (ETF) might be one of the best ways to gain broad exposure. There are many different types of ETFs to choose from, all providing access to different themes, strategies, or trends.
There’s one ETF in particular that gives its shareholders ownership in some of the most disruptive businesses in the world. Here are two things you need to know if you want to buy this ETF today.
Living in the future
The disruptive investment vehicle I’m talking about is the Ark Innovation ETF (ARKK -1.54%). This is the flagship product of Ark Invest, the asset management company headed by famed investor Cathie Wood. The Ark Innovation ETF is modest in the grand scheme of things as it has only $7.8 billion in assets under management. That’s compared to the roughly $50 trillion total market capitalization of the U.S. stock market.
The ETF’s objective is to invest in companies that fit its definition of “disruptive innovation.” That phrase is defined as “the introduction of a technologically enabled new product or service that potentially changes the way the world works.”
With that kind of goal in mind, it’s not surprising that this ETF focuses mainly on some of the most forward-thinking businesses on Earth. This means that it leans heavily on technology- and internet-related stocks.
While there are dozens of holdings in the Ark Innovation ETF, five make up 40% of the entire portfolio. They are all likely names you’re familiar with — Tesla, Coinbase, Roku, Block, and UiPath. By owning these types of companies that benefit from popular trends like electric vehicles, autonomous driving, streaming entertainment, digital advertising, digital payments, and robotics, the Ark Innovation ETF tries to give its investors huge growth potential.
Poor performance
It’s difficult to believe that this has been such a terrible investment. Had you put $10,000 in the Ark Innovation ETF five years ago, you’d be sitting on just $10,630 today. That translates to a measly gain of just over 6%.
This poor performance is hard to stomach on its own. But when you consider the expense ratio of 0.75%, it’s even harder to accept. Plus, it doesn’t help that the ETF experiences lots of volatility, which mimics the price action of the individual holdings.
The Invesco QQQ Trust, another ETF that probably competes for capital with the Ark Innovation ETF, has skyrocketed 159% in the past five years. For this tremendous outperformance, investors are only required to pay an expense ratio of 0.20%.
Even more striking, an investment in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, an ETF that tracks the performance of the S&P 500, would’ve also outperformed the Ark Innovation ETF in the past five years. And this product has a tiny expense ratio of just 0.03%. This should really make you consider the kind of return you can achieve relative to the costs you have to pay.
It’s hard to know if the Ark Innovation ETF will do well for its investors over the next five to 10 years. The disappointing track record can make someone very pessimistic. But if you’re looking to buy shares in this ETF, it’s best to know about its strategy and its performance so you can make a more informed decision with your hard-earned savings.
Neil Patel and his clients have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Block, Coinbase Global, Roku, Tesla, UiPath, and Vanguard S&P 500 ETF. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Read More: 2 Things You Need to Know If You Buy This Disruptive ETF Today