In a high-conviction move during one of the busiest weeks for US markets, ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood has trimmed her position in semiconductor giant Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The sale, totaling $74 million, comes as Wood executes a classic “profit-taking” strategy following an extraordinary vertical move in the chipmaker’s valuation.
The Numbers Behind the Move
The divestment follows a period of hyper-growth for AMD, which has significantly outpaced the broader S&P 500:
-
One-Month Surge: The stock skyrocketed 72% in just 30 days.
-
Friday Performance: A single-day jump of 14% triggered the latest sell-off.
-
YTD Gains: Up nearly 56% in 2026 so far.
-
Long-Term Trajectory: A massive 260% increase over the last year.
Despite the sale, AMD remains the second-largest holding in the ARK ETFs, with a remaining exposure valued at over $807 million.
Capital Rotation: From Chips to E-commerce
True to her style of reallocating capital into “disruptive innovation” during relative dips, Wood immediately rotated nearly the entire $74 million into Amazon.
-
The Logic: While Amazon has gained 32% in the last month, its five-year growth of 52% lags significantly behind AMD’s 326%.
-
The Portfolio: Amazon holdings across ARK ETFs now stand at over $296 million.
Addressing the “AI Bubble” Debate
Amidst the “earnings-heavy week” on Wall Street, Wood has been vocal in downplaying fears of a 1990s-style tech bubble. In her latest outlook, she argues:
“What once was the cap in spending seems to have become a floor… an AI bubble is years away.”
She maintains that the convergence of AI, robotics, energy storage, and blockchain is creating the most powerful capital spending cycle in history, suggesting that current high valuations are backed by a fundamental shift in how industries operate.
ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) Snapshot
Despite the flagship fund outperforming the S&P 500 last year (35.49% vs 17.88%), it is currently navigating a period of net outflows, with investors withdrawing roughly $1.34 billion recently.
Top 10 High-Conviction Holdings (as of April 2026):
-
Tesla
-
AMD
-
CRISPR Therapeutics
-
Tempus
-
Shopify
-
Robinhood
-
Teradyne
-
Roku
-
Circle Internet Group
-
Coinbase
Strategic Takeaway: Wood’s move highlights a “stock-specific” trend where even the most bullish AI proponents are locking in gains on parabolic semiconductor moves to fund positions in diversified tech giants like Amazon.
