Cathie Wood-led Ark Invest made significant trades on Thursday, focusing on major companies like Alibaba Group, Baidu, Brera Holdings PLC and Kodiak Robotics. These trades reflect Ark’s strategic positioning in the tech and innovation sectors.

The Alibaba Trade

Ark Invest’s flagship fund, ARK Innovation ETF, acquired 14,453 shares of Alibaba on Thursday. This purchase comes as Alibaba’s stock surged past its 52-week high, closing at $189.34. The trade is valued at approximately $2.74 million.

The rise in Alibaba’s stock is attributed to its mapping and local services platform, Amap, reaching a record 360 million daily users during China’s National Day holiday. This milestone, along with new AI-driven features, has significantly boosted investor confidence. 

The Baidu Trade

On the same day, ARKK also purchased 45,478 shares of  Baidu, valued at around $6.4 million, with the stock closing at $140.23.

Baidu’s Apollo Go robotaxi business is expanding globally, targeting markets like Australia and Southeast Asia. This expansion is part of Baidu’s strategy to compete with giants like Waymo and Tesla. Baidu’s recent achievements include securing 50 trial licenses in Dubai, allowing the company to expand its fleet to approximately 100 cars in the UAE. 

On Wednesday, Ark purchased $2.97 million worth of Baidu shares, and on Tuesday, it bought $6.9 million worth.

The Brera Holdings Trade

Ark Invest decided to sell 44,209 shares of  Brera Holdings PLC from its ARKK fund, with the stock closing at $25.20. The sale is valued at approximately $1.1 million.

Brera Holdings recently experienced a substantial rally after announcing a Solana treasury strategy, which saw its shares jump before a pullback. 

The Wood-backed firm jetisoned $2.5 million worth of Brera Holdings stock on Wednesday, and $6.6 million worth of shares were sold on Tuesday. Last month, Ark invested $162 million in Brera Holdings by buying 6,500,001 shares.

The Kodiak AI Trade

In a notable move,  ARK Autonomous Technology & Robotics ETF  purchased 190,165 shares of the George Soros-backed Kodiak AI valued at about $1.3 million, with the stock closing at $6.83.

Kodiak AI surged 14.6% on Thursday following a disclosure from Soros Fund Management that it had built a 5.7% passive position in the company. The stake amounts to roughly 9.97 million shares, compared with Kodiak AI's 174.96 million shares outstanding.

This acquisition, by Ark Invest, follows recent news of Kodiak Robotics merger funding announcement, which included backing from Soros Fund Management and Ark Investments. The funding package for the merger exceeds $275 million, highlighting significant investor interest in Kodiak’s autonomous vehicle technology.

Other Key Trades

• Sold 40,353 shares of  Roku Inc from ARKK and 24,429 shares from ARKW.