Russell 2000 Index
U.S. small-cap stock market index
The Russell 2000 is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 2,000 companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States that are considered to have small market capitalizations. The Russell 2000 is a subset of the Russell 3000. It is maintained by FTSE Russell and its components are determined via strict rules-based methodology, with an annual rebalancing in late June, the only time new entrants are added to the index.
The index is a public-float-weighted/capitalization-weighted index. The index includes approximately 5% of the total market capitalization of U.S. public companies, with an aggregate market capitalization of more than $3.5 trillion as of June 30, 2026. The median market capitalization of the components of the index is $1.1 billion and components range in market capitalization from $146 million to $2.7 billion.
Products linked to the Russell 2000 include index funds (exchange-traded funds/ETFs and mutual funds) as well as derivatives (options and futures contracts), which are available for trading in many countries with the goal of replicating the performance of the index. Also available are modified index funds; they replicate the performance of the index with modifications such as the use of covered call strategies, equal weighting, performance buffers, leverage, inclusion of only growth or value stocks, or exclusion of certain sectors, all with the goal of changing the risk/return and yield.
01Record values
| Category | All-Time Highs | |
|---|---|---|
| Previous Record Closing | 3,007.37 | Thursday, June 25, 2026 |
| Closing | 3,036.975 | Tuesday, August 4, 2026 |
| Intraday | 3,046.59 | Wednesday, July 1, 2026 |
The index first traded above the 1,000 level on May 20, 2013, and above the 2,000 level on December 23, 2020.
02Annual returns
Annual returns have been as follows:
| Year | Price return (excluding dividends) | Total return (including dividends) |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 26.21% | 28.45% |
| 1996 | 14.76% | 16.49% |
| 1997 | 20.52% | 22.36% |
| 1998 | −3.45% | −2.55% |
| 1999 | 19.62% | 21.26% |
| 2000 | −4.20% | −3.02% |
| 2001 | 1.03% | 2.49% |
| 2002 | −21.58% | −20.48% |
| 2003 | 45.37% | 47.25% |
| 2004 | 17.00% | 18.33% |
| 2005 | 3.32% | 4.55% |
| 2006 | 17.00% | 18.37% |
| 2007 | −2.75% | −1.57% |
| 2008 | −34.80% | −33.79% |
| 2009 | 25.22% | 27.17% |
| 2010 | 25.31% | 26.85% |
| 2011 | −5.45% | −4.18% |
| 2012 | 14.63% | 16.35% |
| 2013 | 37.00% | 38.82% |
| 2014 | 3.53% | 4.89% |
| 2015 | −5.71% | −4.41% |
| 2016 | 19.48% | 21.31% |
| 2017 | 13.14% | 14.65% |
| 2018 | −12.18% | −11.01% |
| 2019 | 23.72% | 25.52% |
| 2020 | 18.36% | 19.96% |
| 2021 | 13.69% | 14.82% |
| 2022 | −21.56% | −20.44% |
| 2023 | 15.09% | 16.93% |
| 2024 | 10.02% | 11.54% |
| 2025 | 11.29% | 12.81% |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Russell 2000 Index”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Russell 2000.png by Jashuah, CC BY-SA 3.0
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