Try your own numbers
it would be worth today
$727.31
−$272.69 loss0.73x-5.4% a year
The same $1,000 in an S&P 500 index fund: $2,218
Includes the fund’s 0.75% yearly fee, roughly $24.24 over this time.
No tax on a loss. Selling can offset tax on other gains.
Growth Over Time
Performance Metrics
Total Invested
$1,000.00
Current Value
$727.31
Total Loss
−$272.69
Multiplier
0.73x
CAGR
-5.4%
Max Drawdown
-75.9%
Inflation-Adjusted
$604.38
Benchmark Comparison
How does $1,000.00 invested in 2021 compare across different asset classes?
| Asset | Value Today | Return |
|---|---|---|
| ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) | $727.31 | 0.73x |
| S&P 500 | $2,218.04 | 2.22x |
| Gold | $2,213.49 | 2.21x |
| Savings (2% APY) | $1,120.46 | 1.12x |
Dividends
Without reinvesting dividends, it would be worth $715.39 instead of $727.31.
Dividends from Yahoo Finance. Shares today assume every dividend was reinvested.
ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) charges a yearly fee of 0.75%. It’s already taken out of the fund’s price, so the results above include it; at today’s rate it came to roughly $24.24 on this investment. Source
Back in 2021
- In 2021, a gallon of gas averaged $3.01 and the new iPhone 13 Pro started at $999. eia.govapple.com
- During 2021 itself, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) fell 22%, #105 of the 111 investments we track. The best was Solana (+11,084%); the worst was Zoom (−49%). Full 2021 results →
$1,000 in ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), year by year
Of the 111 investments we track that were available at the start of 2021, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) ranks #93 by growth to today, in the bottom quarter — just behind Intuit and ahead of Disney. See the full 2021 ranking →
ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) started 2021 at its highest start-of-year price up to then, after rising 151% in 2020. It has been worth less than the $1,000 put in at every January since, and still is today. Its best January was 2022, at $784.26. Today it's 7.3% below that, so selling then would have beaten holding. It rose in 3 of the 5 full years since. It has trailed the same $1,000 in the S&P 500 at every January since, and still does. Month by month, the deepest fall ran from Jun 2021 ($1,046) to Dec 2022 ($251.91), a drop of 76%. At its lowest month-end, in Dec 2022, it was worth $251.91.
| When | Worth | Change | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start of 2021 | $1,000 | — | $1,000 |
| Start of 2022 | $784 | −22% | $1,287 |
| Start of 2023 | $246 | −69% | $1,054 |
| Start of 2024 | $412 | +67% | $1,331 |
| Start of 2025 | $464 | +13% | $1,664 |
| Start of 2026 | $638 | +38% | $1,962 |
| Today | $727 | +14% | $2,218 |
Values at the start of each year (first trading day for stocks). The S&P 500 column includes reinvested dividends, like the stock values.
Historical Context
At the start of 2021, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) was priced at $122.65 (adjusted for later splits and dividends). $1,000 would have bought about 8.15 shares. ARKK is Cathie Wood's actively managed fund of disruptive-innovation stocks, launched in October 2014.
Measured from one January to the next, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK)'s best year since then was 2023 (+67%) and its worst was 2022 (−69%). Holding on wasn't easy: between the start of 2021 and the start of 2023, the position fell 75% from its high.
Frequently Asked Questions
A $1,000 investment in ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) at the start of 2021 would be worth approximately $727.31 today — a 0.73x return ($272.69 loss) over 5.7 years.
Methodology & Sources
Price data: Historical prices are the closing price on the first trading day of each year, adjusted for splits and dividends (so returns assume dividends were reinvested), from Yahoo Finance and MacroTrends. Current prices come from Yahoo Finance and refresh hourly; if that source is unavailable, the last saved price is used.
Calculation: Assumes a single purchase at the start of 2021 (or the first trading day, for companies that listed that year), held until today. No transaction fees, taxes, or slippage are included.
Benchmarks: The S&P 500 comparison uses the S&P 500 Total Return index (dividends reinvested, like an index fund) at the start of2021 and today. Gold uses the price per troy ounce. Savings account assumes a 2% APY compounded annually.
Inflation adjustment: Uses U.S. CPI-U annual averages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 2026 CPI value is estimated.
Educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.
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$1,000 in ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), by year
$1,000 in ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK):1 year ago5 years ago10 years ago