Dear Shareholder:
This Semi-Annual Report for the ARK ETF Trust covers the period from August 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020 for each ARK exchange-traded fund (“ETF’ or collectively, “ARK ETFs”). The ARK ETF Trust, as of the period of this report, consists of five actively-managed theme-based ETFs and two index-based ETFs:
ETF
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Commencement Date
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ARK Genomic Revolution ETF
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10/31/14
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ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF
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9/30/14
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ARK Innovation ETF
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10/31/14
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ARK Next Generation Internet ETF
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9/30/14
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ARK Fintech Innovation ETF
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2/4/19
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The 3D Printing ETF
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7/19/16
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The ARK Israel Innovative Technology ETF
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12/5/17
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ARK Investment Management LLC (“ARK”), the investment adviser to the ARK ETFs, specializes in thematic investing in disruptive innovation. The ARK ETFs include portfolio companies that we believe are leading and benefiting from cross-sector innovations centered around artificial intelligence (AI), energy storage, robotics, DNA sequencing, and blockchain technology.
We believe that AI learning systems will transform not only retail, media and telecom, as did the Internet, but all sectors in the economy, even those impervious to disruption, notably health care and financial services. Declining battery costs should cause an explosion in mobile form factors. These innovations should increase the demand for electrical energy, displacing fossil fuels and reducing not only the vulnerability of grids but also operating expenses and the capital intensity of transmission and distribution. Advances in software and sensors should enable robots to operate alongside humans in all sorts of environments. If their unit costs decline by more than 50% while their capabilities increase, as we anticipate will be the case, robots should transform every business that depends upon physical processes and workflows. As the cost to sequence a whole human genome falls precipitously, DNA sequencing, a test once limited to the research lab, should see widespread clinical adoption and a hundred-fold increase in volumes, transforming health care entirely. With blockchain technology, we believe that more of everything in the world will become money-like: fungible, liquid, and quantified. Every corporation and consumer will have to adapt, calling into question the very structure of a corporation.
As of this writing, we are facing the global economic consequences of a virus named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes, “coronavirus disease 2019”, abbreviated as “COVID-19”. While these are difficult times, we remain committed to helping our employees and clients stay safe and productive, while making sense of the markets. For our employees, we quickly enacted a pandemic plan, suspending all travel and instituting a work remotely policy. I am proud of how seamlessly our business transitioned, and we are confident in its health and wellbeing. For our clients, we believe that now, more than ever, trusted communication is key. While ARK always seeks to foster an open, transparent, and collaborative exchange of insights, we increased our client communication during this volatile period, tailoring content specifically to address concerns about the coronavirus, market volatility, government policy, and the role that innovation plays during tumultuous times. We remain committed to helping our clients navigate through this period of exceptional uncertainty.
We believe that the turbulence caused by the coronavirus is giving innovation another opportunity to break through the traditional world order. As is typical during periods of turbulence and fear, consumers and businesses are willing to think differently and change their behavior. As both look for cheaper, more productive, or more creative ways to satisfy their needs, we believe that disruptive innovation will take root and gain significant market share.
According to our estimates, the five innovation platforms should generate more than $50 trillion in business value and wealth creation over the next 10-15 years. Today, we believe these platforms account for less than $6 trillion in global equity market capitalization, giving investors an opportunity to capitalize on long term growth opportunities.
On the following pages, you will find information relating to your ARK ETF investment. If you have any questions, I encourage you to contact your financial advisor or ARK directly. You also can find additional information, including our daily portfolio holdings, on the ARK ETF website located at: www.ark-funds.com.
We appreciate the opportunity to help you meet your investment goals and thank you for investing with us to capture the pace of innovation.
Sincerely,
Catherine D. Wood
Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer
ARK Investment Management LLC