Billionaire Israel Englander Is Piling Into IVV. Should You Follow?

"Sophisticated investors often view these windows as entry points, not exit signals. The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX)-Wall Street's fear gauge-tells the same story. The index sits at 26.85 as of March 13, up 31.3% from a month ago, placing it in elevated uncertainty territory. It briefly spiked to 29.49 on March 6 before pulling back."

"Englander's accumulation (alongside peers like Ray Dalio's Bridgewater, which added 1,739,550 shares of IVV in Q3 2025, bringing total holdings to 4,049,300 shares valued at over $2.7 billion) points to a shared conviction: that current market anxiety is overstated relative to the underlying quality of S&P 500 constituents."

"IVV has pulled back meaningfully in 2026. The fund is down 3.04% year-to-date and off 3.76% over the past month, with shares closing at $668.95 on March 12. That's a notable retreat from recent highs. Against a longer backdrop, though, the fund has returned 19.14% over the past year and 290.03% over the past decade."

Institutional investors, including those linked to Israel Englander's Millennium Management, accumulated substantial positions in S&P 500 tracking ETFs like IVV during Q4 2025 as retail investors grew cautious. IVV, which tracks all 11 sectors with a 0.03% expense ratio and holds $750.7 billion in assets, experienced a meaningful pullback in early 2026, declining 3.04% year-to-date. The Cboe Volatility Index reached elevated levels at 26.85, up 31.3% monthly. Sophisticated investors interpreted these market conditions as entry opportunities. Englander's moves aligned with peers like Ray Dalio's Bridgewater, which added substantial IVV shares. This accumulation reflects conviction that current market anxiety is overstated relative to S&P 500 constituent quality, particularly technology holdings representing 33.4% of the portfolio.

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