Wedbush Launches AI Revolution ETF Backed by Dan Ives' Tech Picks

Wedbush's Dan Ives Joins ETF Wave

Wall Street tech analyst Dan Ives is lending his personal brand to power a new ETF riding the artificial-intelligence boom, joining a growing pack of finance names looking to monetize their industry renown with retail-friendly investment funds. Wedbush Fund Advisers is launching a product tracking the investment picks touted by Ives, whose high-conviction tech calls have earned him a sizable following among the likes of retail investors. The Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF is launching Wednesday with the ticker IVES, and is focused on Ives' "proprietary research." It comprises 30 names in AI sectors, including semiconductors, cybersecurities and robotics, among others. (Source: Bloomberg)

Wedbush, Dan Ives launch new ETF to capture the AI boom

Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives is putting his theory of the artificial intelligence boom to the test with a new fund that will allow his audience to follow along and invest in his favorite ideas. The Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF is set to begin trading on Wednesday under the ticker "IVES." The fund will track an index that consists of the companies from Wedbush's Ives AI 30 research list. "It's based on our research. So as new companies come in, then some companies could come out. This is a living organism, in terms of this AI 30. It's not static. And that's a key part of the theme here, because the theme will continue to evolve," Ives told CNBC. The current index includes many of the biggest tech funds in the market, such as Nvidia , Microsoft , Alphabet , Amazon and Tesla , according to a Wedbush report last month. Smaller names in the index include SoundHound AI and CyberArk Software . The index will be reconfigured quarterly and can be changed more often in the event of a corporate action, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing for the fund. Cullen Rogers, chief investment officer at Wedbush Fund Advisers, is in charge of the ETF's day-to-day operations. The fund is technically a passive investing product. "We're kind of walking this line between active and passive. ... We're just looking to leverage Dan's ideas as well as we can in an institutional framework, in this index, that kind of gives investors a consistent, predictable structure," Rogers said. AI-themed ETFs have been something of a puzzle for fund issuers given the fast-developing nature of the industry, the obstacle of some large players like OpenAI being private firms , and the fact that the biggest public companies, like Nvidia, are already widely held by investors through other vehicles. The Wedbush team thinks their fund is launching as the AI boom is expanding beyond those initial big winners. "The AI revolution theme is now going from semis to software, to infrastructure, to consumer and the other derivatives," Ives said. There are some notable competitors for the Ives fund, however, including the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ) , which has more than $3 billion in assets under management. That fund has gained 22% over the past 12 months, which is well above the S & P 500 but basically in-line with just holding Nvidia alone. The Ives fund comes with a management fee of 0.75%. The Ives fund comes with a management fee of 0.75%. That is higher than the cost of many popular thematic ETFs, but it's lower than the equal-weighted average fee of about 1% for active U.S. equity funds, according to Morningstar . For comparison, the AIQ has a fee of 0.68%.

Dan Ives' Wedbush ETF tracking AI stocks launches

Dan Ives, a tech analyst known for his bullish calls on Nvidia (NVDA), Tesla, and the generative AI boom, is offering investors a way to buy into his thesis -- literally. On Tuesday, Wedbush Securities, where Ives is the managing director, launched the Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF (ticker: IVES), a portfolio of 30 U.S. tech companies selected by Ives and his team for their exposure to AI. The fund trades on the NYSE Arca and carries a 0.75% expense ratio. The ETF includes familiar names such as Nvidia, Microsoft (MSFT), Tesla (TSLA), and Palantir (PLTR) -- companies Ives has championed as foundational to the next phase of digital transformation. The ETF tracks what Wedbush calls the "Ives AI 30," a list of companies the company sees as best positioned to commercialize and scale AI across sectors -- from semiconductors to cloud platforms to next-gen software. "It's based on our research," Ives told CNBC. "As new companies come in, then some companies could come out. This is a living organism, in terms of this AI 30. It's not static. And that's a key part of the theme here, because the theme will continue to evolve." That puts the fund into what Wedbush executives say is a bit of a hybrid category. "We're kind of walking this line between active and passive," said Cullen Rogers, chief investment officer at Wedbush Fund Advisers, who is overseeing the ETFs day-to-day operations. "We're just looking to leverage Dan's ideas as well as we can in an institutional framework... that gives investors a consistent, predictable structure." Ives has been among Wall Street's most vocal AI bulls, describing the moment as a generational investment opportunity. In recent client notes, he's called AI "the biggest tech transformation in over 40 years" and likened AI chips to "the new gold and oil." "The AI revolution is the biggest tech theme we've ever seen," Ives told Yahoo Finance. He said he started the ETF "because it's about the second, third, fourth derivatives of AI playing out, and that's the important thing for investors." The launch lands at a time when AI-related stocks are surging. But whether or not the market stays this hot is a big question. "Dan's track record speaks for itself," Wedbush CEO Gary Wedbush said in a press release. "He's been identifying the drivers of tech disruption for years, and the IVES ETF gives investors a chance to follow that insight in a disciplined, transparent way." Wedbush is betting that the AI rally is far from over -- and that the company's strategy can stand out as the space matures.

Wedbush Launches AI Revolution ETF Backed By Dan Ives' Proprietary Tech Picks Wedbush Launches AI Revolution ETF (IVES), Backed By Dan Ives' Proprietary Tech Picks - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Tidal ETF Trust Fundstrat Granny Shots US Large Cap ETF (ARCA:GRNY)

Wall Street tech guru Dan Ives is making an entrance into the ETF space with a bang and his own ticker. One of Wall Street's best-known tech analysts, famous for his brash predictions on Apple AAPL and Tesla TSLA, Ives is now making his market calls tradable with the Dan Ives Wedbush AI Revolution ETF IVES, reported Bloomberg. The ETF, which debuted Wednesday, looks to catch the current boom in AI. It's centered around Ives' "proprietary research" and holds 30 of his favorite companies with connections to artificial intelligence. Think semiconductors, cybersecurity companies, robotics, and so on -- essentially, the kinds of stocks Ives has been pounding the table about for years. Also Read: VistaShares Unleashes WILD, A 2x Leveraged ETF Powered By Animal Spirits And Market Momentum Ives believes AI will be the biggest tech theme in 50 years. He believes Wedbush has been early in tracking the AI revolution and has identified the winners. Ives has become a go-to name for retail investors hunting for tech insights on social and digital media. Now, fans of his market views can literally invest in them, no decoder ring required. The IVES ETF is the latest addition to a growing trend of finance personalities establishing funds constructed around their names. Fundstrat's Tom Lee and economist Nouriel Roubini recently introduced ETFs, and even Donald Trump's media entity is considering its own set of funds. Lee's ETF, in particular, Fundstrat Granny Shots US Large Cap ETF GRNY has already notched more than $1 billion in inflows since debuting in late 2024, noted Bloomberg But the ETF universe is crowded. The American market is chock-full of more than 4,200 ETFs, and AI funds are reproducing quicker than ChatGPT requests. Some have succeeded, and many have not, so the stakes are high. Nevertheless, Wedbush is wagering big on Ives' name value and analysis. This new ETF can be worth watching for individual investors seeking a one-click means of playing the AI megatrend and who have confidence in Ives' instincts. Read Next: Why Victoria's Secret's Breach Is A Wake-Up Call For Cybersecurity ETF Investors Photo: Shutterstock AAPLApple Inc$204.270.49%Stock Score Locked: Edge Members Only Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Unlock RankingsEdge RankingsMomentum40.44Growth32.93Quality79.03Value8.75Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewGRNYTidal ETF Trust Fundstrat Granny Shots US Large Cap ETF$21.250.19%IVESWedbush Series Trust Dan IVES Wedbush AI Revolution ETF$25.40-%TSLATesla Inc$333.74-3.06%Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs