Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
ARKK vs IDEF: Holdings Overlap & Returns
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, ARKK returned −3.5% to IDEF's −5.7%; 9% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $6.6bn on Oct 27, 2026 for ARK Innovation ETF, and $3.7bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares Defense Industrials and Tech Active ETF.
36% of ARKK's weight is in S&P 500 companies and 64% is outside the index. Holdings as of Oct 27, 2026.
43% of IDEF's weight is in S&P 500 companies and 58% is outside the index. Holdings as of Oct 27, 2026.
Pair scorecard
IDEF costs 0.20 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 2.2 points; ARKK is 1.8 times larger.
Points (pts) are percentage points.
| Measure | ARKK | IDEF |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | −3.5% | −5.7% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its all-time high | 44.2%, high on Feb 12, 2021 | 17.0%, high on Mar 2, 2026 |
| Against its benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Broad innovation and megatrends | Defense |
| Against the S&P 500, 1 year | behind by 17.2 pts | |
| Its benchmark, total return, 1 year | +13.7% | |
| Against its benchmark, 1 year | behind by 17.2 pts | |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.75% | 0.55% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 27, 2026 | $6.6bn | $3.7bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 9% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
May 30, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026 · 73 weekly returnsARKK returned more: +45.4% to +14.9%. IDEF swung less: 22.4% to 34.8%. IDEF fell less at its worst: −17.1% to −27.7%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | ARKK | IDEF | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +45.4% | +14.9% | ARKK | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +30.6% | +10.4% | ARKK | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +45.4% | +14.5% | ARKK | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 34.8% | 22.4% | IDEF | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 21.5% | 14.7% | IDEF | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −27.7% | −17.1% | IDEF | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.83 | 0.38 | ARKK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 1.34 | 0.58 | ARKK | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 1.11 | 0.61 | ARKK | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 73 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, ARKK and IDEF hold 9% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
9% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Window by window
| Total return | vs its benchmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Window | ARKK | IDEF | ARKK | IDEF |
| 3 months | +22.0% | −3.0% | +15.9 pts vs VOO | not measured |
| 6 months | +17.1% | −5.8% | +8.0 pts vs VOO | not measured |
| 1 year | −3.5% | −5.7% | −17.2 pts vs VOO | not measured |
| 3 years | +152.6% | – | +57.1 pts vs VOO | – |
| Since launchNot the same days: ARKK Oct 2014 · IDEF May 2025 | +367.2% | +22.1% | −3.5 pts vs VOO | not measured |
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Side by side
As of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
9% of the two portfolios are the same securities at the same weight.
ARKK and IDEF are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- Theme. ARKK covers Broad innovation and megatrends and IDEF covers Defense.
- Concentration. The top ten holdings are 49.4% of ARKK and 37.3% of IDEF, a gap of 12.1 points.
- What each follows. ARKK follows Broad innovation and megatrends and IDEF follows Defense.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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ARKK
By weight, 36% of ARKK's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 85%. The top ten holdings are 49% of the fund across 46 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −3.5% with distributions reinvested against +13.7% for its benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, so a holder was behind by 17.2 pts. It sits 44.2% below its all-time high of Feb 12, 2021.
IDEF
By weight, 42% of IDEF's portfolio is stocks that are also in the S&P 500; its active share against the S&P 500 is 92%. The top ten holdings are 37% of the fund across 155 positions, as published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 the fund returned −5.7% with distributions reinvested. It sits 17.0% below its all-time high of Mar 2, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Do ARKK and IDEF hold the same stocks?
- By their latest filings, 9% of their books are the same securities at the same weight. Overlap is the sum of the smaller weight of every security they share.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
Every number is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested.
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ETFIQ, ARKK against IDEF, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/arkk-vs-idef
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). ARKK against IDEF. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/arkk-vs-idef
[ARKK against IDEF (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/themes/arkk-vs-idef)
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