• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 

1

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families

2

Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026

3

Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
FinanceEconomy

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood calls Trump tariffs ‘shock therapy’ that could clear the way for freer trade and economic stimulus

By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Alena Botros
Alena Botros
Former staff writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 14, 2025, 1:13 PM ET
ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood in 2022.
ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood in 2022.PATRICK T. FALLON—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.
  • ARK Invest founder Cathie Wood is betting on President Donald Trump’s tariffs: The chaos could be a setup for trade deals, and any economic slowdown could be the thing that pushes the administration and central bank into action, she wrote in a recent note. 

ARK Invest founder and chief executive Cathie Wood, famed for her bets on Tesla, appears to be betting on the president’s tariffs, too. 

Recommended Video

“While many observers fear that the Trump tariff policy is a recipe for economic and geopolitical disaster, we believe that what looked at first glance like the largest and most regressive tax increase in U.S. history could turn out to be quite the opposite,” Wood wrote in a note on Friday. 

President Donald Trump announced a sweeping tariff regime on so-called Liberation Day that sent the stock market spiraling and sparked chaos in the bond market. He later announced a 90-day grace period while raising tariffs on China but keeping the door open to a deal.

But Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s apparent elevation as the lead on trade negotiations over other administration officials turned Wood bullish.

That comes after reports said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would play “bad cop,” while trade advisor Peter Navarro would be sidelined. 

So “what once seemed like a chaotic situation based on incomprehensible ‘reciprocity’ calculations could have been a setup—premeditated or otherwise—for serious negotiations that will lead to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers, neither of which would have been possible without the shock therapy that President Trump administered,” Wood wrote in the note dated April 11. 

She also mentioned Elon Musk, who, she noted, was “still influential” in the administration and holds a zero-tariff stance. Navarro and Musk clashed over tariffs.

Wood isn’t the first to be critical of the reciprocal tariff calculation, or the first to suggest this could have been the strategy all along. And late Friday night, another tariff reprieve was declared: Smartphones, computers, semiconductors, and more were exempt from tariffs. 

But mixed signals followed. Lutnick said exemptions won’t last and tariffs were coming later, and Trump posted on his social media platform that no one was “off the hook” on tariffs. Still, Monday began with a tech rally, and the situation has somewhat calmed.

Wood said that throughout recent volatility in the stock and bond markets, she held that the president was aiming for robust economic growth and a strong market for the second half of the year—an expectation she had before the tariff whiplash began, coming off what she called a “rolling recession.” 

A tariff-induced shock could push the administration and the Federal Reserve, which is in wait-and-see mode, to intervene more forcefully with fiscal and monetary stimulus. 

“Now that much of the economy has seized up in response to the fear of tariffs, the drop in activity is likely to be more severe than otherwise would have been the case, a clarion call for tax cuts, deregulation, and lower interest rates,” she wrote.

ARK Invest did not respond to Fortune’s request for further comment.

About the Author
By Alena BotrosFormer staff writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Alena Botros is a former reporter at Fortune, where she primarily covered real estate.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Senator Ruben Gallego arriving with a binder in hand at a news conference on Capitol Hill.
EconomyEmployment
Exclusive: Arizona senator warns ‘ghost jobs’ are warping labor data, presses Trump admin to investigate
By Camila Grigera NaónJune 18, 2026
1 hour ago
ursula
EnergyEuropean Union
Europe’s $29 billion Iran War bill is driving a scramble for new energy routes
By Menelaos Hadjicostis and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago
teens
EconomyJobs
Teen summer employment is headed for its worst year since 1948
By Matt Sedensky and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago
baer
Startups & VentureObituary
Joshua Baer, the architect of Austin’s tech scene, dies at 50
By Ed White and The Associated PressJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 18, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks June 18, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on June 18, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJune 18, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
Economy
The affordability crisis is so bad that, for the first time ever, both mom and dad are working full-time in most American families
By Jacqueline MunisJune 17, 2026
19 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 17, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
Arts & Entertainment
Exclusive: Universal beat Disney as Hollywood's maker of the most expensive movie of all time 
By Christian SyltJune 17, 2026
1 day ago
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
Success
'Work hard, stay loyal, and the system will reward you': the Boomer credo is a Gen X betrayal and a Millennial pipe dream
By Nick LichtenbergJune 16, 2026
2 days ago
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
Big Tech
Hundreds of Stanford students walked out of their grad ceremony to protest Google CEO’s commencement speech. It wasn’t all about AI
By Tristan BoveJune 15, 2026
3 days ago
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
Success
Anne Hathaway says she was spammed with ChatGPT-written thank you notes after hiring a recent role: 'Nobody on that list gets that job'
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 18, 2026
8 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.