Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could eventually become part of the recommended portfolio for everyday investors, Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood said Monday.
Wood, whose star as an investor rose dramatically last year thanks to the strong performance of her flagship Ark Innovation ETF, said on CNBC’s “Closing Bell” that she believes volatile cryptocurrencies will eventually resemble bonds.
“We think as it becomes a better accepted new asset class … We do think it will behave, actually, I would say more like the fixed income markets, believe it or not,” Wood said.
Bitcoin has had a dramatic run to new highs after trading under $10,000 per coin as recently as September. The asset rose to nearly $58,000 on Feb. 21, according to Coin Metrics, before cooling off slightly. It was trading at about $51,700 on Monday.
Though often called “digital gold,” bitcoin does not trade in tandem with precious metals and its high level of volatility is more reminiscent of assets that are thought of as higher risk. Wood said that, at the moment, bitcoin’s price was most correlated with real estate prices.
Still, Wood said that she thinks bitcoin could stabilize over time and become a part of the recommended portfolio for the average investor, which is 60% in stocks and 40% in fixed income, especially given the high price of bonds relative to history.
“If you think about bonds from this level, this idea of a 60-40 balanced portfolio is a bit problematic,” Wood said. “We’ve been through a 40-year bull market in bonds. We would not be surprised to see this new asset class become a part of those percentages. Maybe 60 equity, 20, 20,” Wood said.
Tesla, which has long been one of Ark’s largest positions, converted part of its balance sheet cash into bitcoin earlier this year. Other companies have also increasingly adopted cryptocurrency, either by supporting payments and transfers or actually buying the assets.
The flagship Ark fund has tumbled in the opening months of 2021, with the rotation into value hurting some of Wood’s largest holdings. The investor said on Monday that she is still confident in her strategy and in Tesla despite the recent losses.