Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest Defies Market Slump to Buy Four Crypto Stocks, Including Coinbase

Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest uses actively managed exchange-traded funds to target disruptive technologies. Block spans merchant payments through Square, consumer finance through Cash App and bitcoin-related services, while Circle Internet Group issues USDC, a major dollar-backed stablecoin. The companies give equity investors exposure to the convergence of financial technology and digital assets, making ARK’s trades a closely watched signal of institutional appetite for the sector.

On Aug. 31, 2026, ARK bought 456,059 Block shares worth about $37.4 million across the ARK Innovation ETF, ARK Next Generation Internet ETF and ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF. It also purchased 35,192 Circle shares valued at roughly $3.36 million, taking the combined outlay to about $40.8 million. Block fell 1.85% to $82.02 that day, while Circle jumped 9.65% to $95.55.

Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest uses actively managed exchange-traded funds to target companies associated with disruptive innovation. Coinbase Global provides cryptocurrency trading and custody services, while Circle Internet Group operates the USDC stablecoin. Their shares give Ark exposure to two key parts of the digital-asset industry — trading infrastructure and blockchain-based payments — making the firm’s portfolio moves a closely watched gauge of institutional appetite for crypto-linked equities.

On Aug. 3, Ark bought 54,776 Coinbase shares worth about $8.02 million at the closing price and 23,070 Circle shares valued at roughly $1.39 million, taking the combined purchase to about $9.41 million. The trades were spread across the ARK Innovation ETF, ARK Next Generation Internet ETF and ARK Fintech Innovation ETF. Coinbase edged up 0.16% to $146.50, while Circle fell 3.61% to $60.35. Ark also made smaller reductions in Solmate across the funds as it rebalanced portfolio weights.

ARK Invest, led by Cathie Wood, uses actively managed funds including ARKK, ARKW and ARKF to hold crypto-linked equities and rebalance exposure as prices and portfolio weights shift. Bitmine Immersion Technologies is an Ether treasury company, while Block, Coinbase, Circle Internet Group and Bullish span payments, exchanges and stablecoin infrastructure. Changes in those positions are closely watched as a gauge of ARK’s risk appetite in a volatile corner of the equity market.

On July 28, 2026, ARK sold shares of Bitmine, Bullish, Block and Robinhood as crypto stocks weakened, while buying about $14.5 million of SpaceX and adding Nvidia. The rotation continued on July 29: ARK disposed of roughly $4.4 million across those four crypto-linked names and purchased about $14.5 million of Coinbase and Circle shares. The back-to-back disclosures showed the manager trimming selected crypto proxies while redirecting capital toward space, AI chips, a major exchange and a stablecoin issuer.

Shares of USDC issuer Circle have recently come under pressure from factors including the launch of rival stablecoin Open USD. ARK Invest, founded by Cathie Wood, has nevertheless made a substantial purchase, signaling strong long-term confidence in digital finance and the stablecoin market. The move also reflects the firm’s core buy-the-dip strategy and offers a gauge of the stablecoin industry’s prospects and technology-stock investment trends.

ARK Invest added to its position again on July 15, 2026, with its funds spending about $13.9 million to buy 220,012 Circle shares while selling 27,742 Robinhood shares. Despite competition from the new Open USD stablecoin, analysts maintained an outperform rating on Circle.

Robinhood’s business centers on retail trading in stocks, options and cryptocurrencies, leaving its results highly sensitive to market activity. The company reported first-quarter earnings on April 28, 2026, that missed market expectations because of weak cryptocurrency trading, sending its shares down nearly 12%. Investors are now weighing whether the slump marks a cyclical low or a weakening of Robinhood’s core growth engine.

On April 29, the day after the results, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest bought more than 500,000 Robinhood shares through three ETFs for about $39.7 million, its largest single-day purchase this year. Cantor Fitzgerald maintained an Overweight rating and a $110 price target, saying a rebound in stock and options trading in April, together with the Rothera prediction-market platform, could offset near-term weakness in the cryptocurrency business.

Coinbase is a major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, while Robinhood began as a zero-commission brokerage and has expanded its crypto business. Both companies’ shares are highly sensitive to market risk appetite and trading volumes. Cathie Wood’s Ark Invest uses actively managed ETFs to invest in disruptive innovation, and its decision to buy amid a geopolitical shock reflects a long-term bet on the growth of crypto-related stocks.

Ark Invest bought 22,452 Coinbase shares through ARKK, ARKW and ARKF on March 3, 2026, worth about $4.1 million based on the closing price of $182.36. It also purchased 158,587 Robinhood shares, worth about $12 million at $76.07 each. The stocks fell 1.55% and 3.44%, respectively, that day, and details of the trades were disclosed the following day, March 4.