Cathie Wood's Ark Invest was busy on Monday, deploying capital across emerging technologies from AI infrastructure to cryptocurrency exposure. The firm's largest move involved a hefty bet on CoreWeave Inc. (CRWV), alongside strategic additions to its Bitcoin holdings and investments in companies backed by some of finance's biggest names.
The Big AI Infrastructure Play
Ark's flagship ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) and ARK Next Generation Internet ETF (ARKW) collectively grabbed 437,345 shares of CoreWeave on Monday, putting approximately $32.2 million to work. The timing makes sense when you consider CoreWeave's recent momentum following Nvidia's blockbuster earnings report, which sent AI-related stocks surging across the board.
CoreWeave specializes in cloud infrastructure built specifically for AI workloads, positioning it squarely in the middle of the artificial intelligence buildout everyone's talking about. As demand for AI computing power continues expanding, companies like CoreWeave are benefiting from the heightened interest and capital flowing into the sector.
Buying Bitcoin When Others Are Panicking
While crypto markets were showing serious signs of stress, Ark's ARK Blockchain And Fintech Innovation ETF (ARKF) and ARKW funds picked up 36,638 shares of ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, totaling around $1.08 million. The ETF gives investors exposure to Bitcoin (BTC) price movements without the hassle of actually holding the cryptocurrency themselves.
The purchase came during a particularly rough stretch for crypto. Bitcoin had slid to around $87,000 as fear in the market hit levels not seen since late 2022. Sentiment indexes dropped into extreme-panic territory, with the apex cryptocurrency falling about 30% from its October peak near $126,000. The broader crypto market cap tumbled to roughly $2.9 trillion amid widespread selling pressure. If you believe in contrarian investing, buying when everyone else is panicking is exactly what you're supposed to do.
The Peter Thiel-Backed Crypto Exchange
ARKK added 13,402 shares of Bullish (BLSH), valued at approximately $556,183. The cryptocurrency exchange, backed by Peter Thiel, just reported its third-quarter earnings last week with some mixed results worth unpacking.
Bullish posted revenue of $76.5 million, beating estimates, and delivered adjusted earnings of $0.10 per share that matched forecasts. However, digital asset sales declined to $41.6 billion from $54.2 billion the previous year, while adjusted transaction revenue fell to $26.7 million. On the positive side, the company launched crypto options with 14 trading partners, experienced strong liquidity growth, and guided fourth-quarter subscription and services revenue between $47 million and $53 million.
Notably, Ark has been consistently accumulating Bullish shares throughout November, particularly around the earnings release, suggesting conviction in the company's longer-term prospects despite near-term headwinds.
The George Soros Autonomous Trucking Bet
Ark's ARKQ fund purchased 35,329 shares of Kodiak AI Inc. (KDK), totaling approximately $215,507. The autonomous trucking company went public through a SPAC merger in April with backing from some heavyweight investors.
George Soros supported the deal through Soros Fund Management, joining Ark Investments and Ares in providing Kodiak with over $110 million in financing from new and existing institutional investors. Combined with roughly $551 million held in trust for the transaction, the company secured substantial capital to pursue its autonomous vehicle ambitions.
This investment positions Ark to participate in what's estimated to be a $4 trillion autonomous vehicle market opportunity. Whether that market materializes on the timeline everyone hopes for remains to be seen, but Ark is clearly positioning for that future.
What Ark Sold
Not everything in the portfolio got bigger. Ark trimmed several positions on Monday:
- Sold 583,495 shares of GitLab Inc from ARKK and 63,416 shares from ARKW.
- Sold 138,456 shares of Iridium Communications Inc from ARKK, 31,848 from ARKQ and 9,274 from ARKX.
- Sold 29,200 shares of Ibotta Inc from ARKW and 32,900 from ARKF.
These moves show Ark actively managing positions, rotating capital toward opportunities the firm views as more compelling while reducing exposure elsewhere. That's portfolio management in action, not just buy-and-hold.