WEBULL

Cathie Wood Beats S&P 500 in 2025 — This ARK ETF Delivered The Knockout With A 50% Gain

Benzinga · 4d ago

Ark Invest had a 2025 to remember, with ETFs from the Cathie Wood-led financial company outpacing the S&P 500’s full-year gains. Here's a look at the gains for the six main Ark Invest ETFs and how they compare to the S&P 500, along with a look at top holdings in the top-performing funds.

Ark Invest Beats S&P 500

The S&P 500, tracked by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), outperformed Berkshire Hathaway over the past year, with Warren Buffett as CEO. In a battle with Ark Invest’s ETFs, the index and ETF underperformed.

Here are the gains of the SPY and the six major Ark Invest ETFs for 2025:

  • SPY: +16.6%
  • Ark Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKK): +35.2%
  • Ark Next Generation Internet ETF (BATS:ARKW): +35.4%
  • Ark Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKF): +27.2%
  • Ark Genomic Revolution ETF (BATS:ARKG): +18.4%
  • Ark Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF (BATS:ARKQ): +49.8%
  • Ark Space & Defense Innovation ETF (BATS:ARKX): +49.2%

In 2025, the Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF was the best-performing of the main Ark Invest ETFs, narrowly beating the Ark Space & Defense Innovation ETF.

Both of these ETFs were heavily weighted in sectors like AI, robotics and space that saw strong returns in 2025. A reported SpaceX IPO in 2026 could put the Ark Space & Defense Innovation ETF, along with the more pure-play space ETF Procure Space ETF (NASDAQ:UFO) in the spotlight as investors look to find space stocks or ways to benefit from a rising SpaceX valuation.

Read Also: Top 10 S&P 500 Stocks In 2025: One Name Leads Both First Years Of Donald Trump In White House

ARKQ vs. ARKX Holdings: Top 10 Overlap

Less than 1% separates ARKQ and ARKX in 2025 gains. This may be unsurprising when considering the top 10 holdings of the two ETFs and their overlap.

Here are the current top 10 holdings of ARKQ and their percentage of the fund's assets:

  1. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA): 11.3%
  2. Teradyne Inc (NASDAQ:TER): 9.7%
  3. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (NASDAQ:KTOS): 7.4%
  4. Rocket Lab Corp (NASDAQ:RKLB): 5.8%
  5. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR): 4.9%
  6. Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD): 4.3%
  7. Archer Aviation (NYSE:ACHR): 4.0%
  8. AeroVironment Inc (NASDAQ:AVAV): 3.7%
  9. Deere & Co (NYSE:DE): 3.5%
  10. Trimble Inc (NASDAQ:TRMB): 3.0%

Here are the current top 10 holdings of ARKX and their percentage of the fund's assets:

  1. Rocket Lab: 9.4%
  2. L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX): 8.4%
  3. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions: 7.8%
  4. Teradyne Inc: 7.5%
  5. AeroVironment Inc: 6.7%
  6. Archer Aviation: 5.3%
  7. Deere & Co: 5.1%
  8. Advanced Micro Devices: 4.2%
  9. Trimble Inc: 4.0%
  10. Palantir Technologies: 4.0%

A quick look at the top 10 holdings shows that the two funds share nine of the same holdings. The lone exceptions are Tesla as the top holding in ARKQ and L3Harris as the second-largest holding in ARKX.

The order of the other nine stocks varies by fund, but strong gains for most of these top components led to both of these ETFs outperforming the S&P 500 and posting similar returns for the year 2025.

AI, autonomous technology and robotics continue to be top trends moving forward and could help ARKQ once again in 2026.

The potential SpaceX IPO, along with possible increased revenue for defense companies thanks to heightened global tensions, could position the ARKX ETF for a strong 2026.

Time will tell which Ark Invest ETF ends up on top and if all six can once again beat the S&P 500 in 2026.

Read Next:

Photo Courtesy: PJ McDonnell on Shutterstock.com