[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong] Cathie Wood, chief executive of Ark Investment Management and known by the nickname “Money Tree Sister,” again stressed bitcoin (BTC) as a better alternative asset than gold. She argued that while gold leads in short-term returns, digital assets keep the upper hand in terms of structural adoption.

On Feb. 24 (local time), blockchain outlet The Crypto Basic reported that Wood said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that bitcoin is a hedging tool that can respond to both inflation and deflation. She assessed that while gold has traditionally served as a defensive asset, bitcoin has differentiated competitiveness in the modern financial system thanks to its digital nature. She cited a clear tendency among younger investors to prefer digital assets over physical gold, and pointed to still-early institutional participation as a growth driver.

Even so, market performance is painting a grim picture, unlike Wood's optimism. Bitcoin is recently trading around $63,269, down about 27.7 percent since the start of the year. Gold, by contrast, is up about 19 percent since the start of the year to $5,180 per troy ounce, showing relative strength. Traditional safe-haven assets are leading in short-term returns, and this gap highlights tension between long-term conviction and short-term market moves.

Still, Ark Invest is continuing to expand its investments in crypto-related companies. On Feb. 12, Ark bought 212,314 shares of BitMine, worth about $4.2 million. It also added 74,323 shares of Bullish, worth about $2.4 million, and 174,767 shares of Robinhood, worth about $12.4 million.

By portfolio, Bullish has risen to become the ninth-largest holding in Ark's ARKF fund, accounting for about $30 million, or 3.4 percent. Ark also maintains ETF positions in crypto-related companies such as Block, Circle and Coinbase.

Wood's moves show that Ark Invest is betting on growth in the crypto ecosystem from a long-term perspective even in a highly volatile market. Digital assets, it says, are a key axis that will drive structural change in the financial system regardless of short-term volatility. Gold is leading the return race so far this year, but Ark's aggressive positioning reflects conviction in bitcoin's long-term trajectory.