Accessing the World of Genetics

“As to diseases, make a habit of two things — to help, or at least, to do no harm.”

— Hippocrates

The increasing ability of human beings to treat formerly lethal diseases has had a massive effect on the quality of our lives over the past century. However, many damaging genetic diseases such as Tay-Sachs and cystic fibrosis have remained outside of this pattern.

While certain drugs and treatments for these conditions do exist, they only can ameliorate the symptoms, not cure them.

Yet, the fact that the genomics industry is working to remedy this situation by developing gene-editing tools like CRISPR also provides new opportunities for investors. For instance, the ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (BATS: ARKG) provides investors with exposure to companies around the world that are involved in the genomics revolution, regardless of sector.

As of right now, most of its holdings are in U.S health care companies, most of which (71.93%) are in the biotech sector. Its other top sectors include advanced medical equipment and technology (12%), medical equipment, supplies and distribution (6.49%), health care facilities & services (4.21%) and pharmaceuticals (4.13%).

Its top holdings include Invitae Corp. (NYSE: NVTA), Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), CRISPR Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ: CRSP), Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTLA), Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ: CGEN), Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ: EDIT) and Teladoc Health, Inc. (NYSE: TDOC).

This fund’s performance has been solid in both the short run and the long run. As of February 10, 2020, ARKG is up 4.70% over the past month and up 19.95% over the past three months. It currently is up 6.59% year to date.

The fund currently has $514.19 million assets under management and an expense ratio of 0.75%, meaning that it is more expensive to hold in comparison to other ETFs.

Chart courtesy of www.StockCharts.com

While ARKG does provide an investor with a chance to profit from the world of genetics, the sector may not be appropriate for all portfolios. Interested investors always should conduct their due diligence and decide whether the fund is suitable for their investing goals.

As always, I am happy to answer any of your questions about ETFs, so do not hesitate to send me an email. You just may see your question answered in a future ETF Talk.