Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest ETFs (exchange-traded funds) were active again on Friday, April 17, 2026, after a quiet start to the week. With no trades on Tuesday and Wednesday and just one on Thursday, activity picked up on Friday as ARK shifted capital from volatile crypto names into large-cap tech. The firm sold about $2.57 million in crypto-linked holdings to fund the purchase of 26,161 shares of Netflix (NFLX).
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Cathie Wood ‘Buys the Dip’ in Netflix Stock
The Netflix move looks opportunistic. On Friday, shares of Netflix fell nearly 10% to close at $97.31 after the company reported its first quarter results. While the streaming giant beat Wall Street’s expectations on both revenue and profit, the stock fell after news that co-founder Reed Hastings would not seek reelection to the board and a softer revenue outlook for the rest of 2026.
The sell-off was sharp, but ARK appears to see it as overdone. By buying about $2.5 million worth of Netflix shares, Cathie Wood is betting the company’s move into live sports and ads—set to bring in about $3 billion this year—will drive future growth.
Why Wood Sold Crypto Stocks amid Geopolitical Uncertainty
ARK trimmed stakes in two crypto-linked stocks, even as Bitcoin moved above $76,000 on Friday. The rise came after a brief reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which pushed oil prices down by about 10%.
But the relief did not last long. By Saturday night, Iran said the Strait was closed again due to the ongoing U.S. naval blockade. This quick shift shows why Cathie Wood may have chosen to lock in gains in more volatile names like Circle and Bullish ahead of a possible market pullback.
- Circle (CRCL): ARK sold $1.21 million worth of shares. The USDC issuer is also facing a class-action lawsuit tied to the Drift Protocol exploit, adding legal risk to the portfolio.
- Bullish (BLSH): The firm also offloaded $1.36 million of Bullish stock. The move suggests a shift from higher-risk crypto names into more stable large-cap tech like Netflix as global tensions rise.
How Wall Street Views These Stocks
Let’s see how these stocks perform using the TipRanks Stock Comparison Tool. Netflix stands out as the only Strong Buy in the group, reflecting stronger analyst confidence. Meanwhile, Circle offers the highest upside potential at nearly 30%, suggesting more room for gains if its outlook improves.
