BMO Launches ARK-Managed ETF Series Focusing on Innovation

A man enters a Bank of Montreal (BMO) branch in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday, July 11, 2018. Canadian stocks were mixed Friday as health care tumbled and energy rose, even as was still on pace for a weekly loss amid escalating trade war risks. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg , Bloomberg

Peyton Forte, Bloomberg News

Nov 17, 2022

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(Bloomberg) -- BMO Investments Inc. is introducing a suite of innovation-focused funds that will be overseen by Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management, in a bet that investor appetite for growth-centered products will persist even after this year’s slump.

The arm of the Canadian lender is expanding its thematic fund offerings with three ETFs and three mutual funds, according to a press release Thursday. They’ll have mirroring tickers -- BMO ARK Genomic Revolution Fund (ticker ARKG), BMO ARK Innovation Fund (ARKK) and BMO ARK Next Generation Internet Fund (ARKW). 

The new offerings come as markets are grappling with the crucial question of whether inflation has ebbed enough to give the Federal Reserve room to slow its aggressive campaign of interest-rate hikes. Wood’s flagship ARKK ETF surged the most on record last week after a report of slower-than-expected US inflation data. It’s given back some of the gains this week.

“Based on the strength and expertise of the ARK team, these three new BMO ARK funds are expertly positioned to benefit from important long-term trends in the market,” Kevin Gopaul, president of ETFs at BMO Global Asset Management, said in the release.

The funds will seek to invest broadly in companies involved in the technological development of fintech innovation, genomic innovation, industrial innovation and next generation Internet innovation, according to the release. 

It’s been a brutal year for riskier investments. The crypto space has floundered and is now contending with contagion risks spurred by the collapse of the popular exchange FTX.com. 

Even after last week’s surge, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) is down about 60% this year, with top holdings Tesla Inc. and Zoom Video Communications Inc. pummeled by tightening financial conditions. It has still netted $1.9 billion of total inflows year-to-date, putting it in the top 10 of actively managed ETFs for new cash, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Todd Sohn, ETF strategist at Strategas Securities, says the debut of the new products reflects a continued appetite for growth-centric strategies, though “the market environment is still a headwind for this segment.”

Each of the new BMO ETFs has a management fee of 0.75% and will be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. 

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