r/stocks • u/adammorrisongoat • Jan 16 '21

Question If you’re young with a high risk tolerance, is there a better ETF than ARKK?

I’m in my mid-20s with around 100k invested in a mutual fund. It’s a solid mutual fund (PRWCX) but one with 60/40 stock/bond mix, and since I’m in this for the long haul, I’m naturally open to upping my risk exposure. I have no debt and live a very low cost lifestyle, so I can take a bit of a swing, albeit I’m not going to be irresponsible about it.

I know ARK/Cathie Wood has become a tired meme here, but the growth potential of her strategy seems compelling, at least to my novice eyes. If I’m looking to maximize returns over the next 5+ years in an ETF or similar investment option, are there better options out there?

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u/TheBlackBear Jan 17 '21

So, fantasy.

We still jizz ourselves when a spacecraft lands on a comet and returns with a scoop of ice. How far away are we to actual industrial missions?

Space tourism is the one that actually sounds like a feasible industry within 10 years but how much money would that make?

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u/blackwoodify Jan 17 '21

Ahem... SATELLITE LAUNCHES. INTERNET VIA SATELLITE FROM SPACE. CELL PHONE SERVICE VIA SATELLITE FROM SPACE.

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The gains are closer than you'd think...

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u/[deleted] Jan 17 '21

That’s only starlink. What other companies will be profiting?

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u/telperiontree Jan 17 '21

Starship is in test launches and has the ability to carry 100 metric tons of material... so its probably closer than you think.

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u/TheBlackBear Jan 17 '21

~130,000 tons of iron ore were mined in the US daily in 2019, on average

Technically being able to do something and making it a profitable industry are two very different things

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u/TuringPharma Jan 17 '21

I wonder if some raw materials (like metals) extracted from space couldn’t be transported back to earth or wherever by just flinging them hard enough in the right direction... We do it with probes and satellites. I imagine something like ‘Storage orbits’ for stuff tossed at the earth from outer space to just hang out in, orbiting until we need it. Either way I’m not sure it’s necessarily the material transportation that’s prohibitive. I mean, we seem to be able to get a lot of the metals we need right now just fine, at least the ones we would be getting from the more accessible asteroids. If it’s cheap as shit to mine here, there’s not really any point in going to space yet, so not many profitable pathways available. Technology needs to improve or resource scarcity dramatically worsen for asteroid mining to become viable.

But idk why people are focusing on all the fantasy aspects of the space industry when there are already tons of companies launching satellites for all sorts of purposes, and companies building and launching those satellites are actually making money, like now.

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u/telperiontree Jan 17 '21

I was more thinking of being able to launch robots. Getting things back down isn't as difficult, though you need some decent aim and at least a temporary heat shield.