ARKX Bests JETS With Tech‑Defense Focus

ARKX’s active tilt toward space, technology and defense has driven much stronger recent returns despite a higher expense ratio.

Overview

ARKX delivered far higher short- and multi-year returns than JETS in the most recent snapshot, roughly tripling four-year growth of a $1,000 investment compared with JETS according to the cited data.
The two funds pursue different bets: JETS is a concentrated tracker of commercial airlines and related industrial firms, while ARKX is an actively managed play on orbital tech, suborbital systems and defense innovation.
ARKX charges a higher fee at 0.75% versus JETS’s 0.60%, and that fee difference could matter to long-term compounding even as ARKX has outperformed in the periods shown.
Top holdings and sector weights underline the gap in exposure: ARKX lists names like Rocket Lab, AMD and L3Harris with larger technology and industrial allocations, while JETS is dominated by major carriers such as Delta, American and United.
Risk profiles differ in ways investors should weigh because ARKX shows a higher beta but a smaller four-year max drawdown than JETS, so higher short-term volatility has coincided with stronger recent gains.