Stats › Annual and index returns › Small caps

The Russell 2000 lagged the S&P 500 in 7 of 11 years

15: -4.5%-4.5%1516: 21.6%+21.6%1617: 14.6%+14.6%1718: -11.1%-11.1%1819: 25.4%+25.4%1920: 20%+20%2021: 14.5%+14.5%2122: -20.5%-20.5%2223: 16.8%+16.8%2324: 11.4%+11.4%2425: 12.7%+12.7%2526: 18.5%+18.5%26

2026 is the strongest year in the series shown. Source: ChartRow, using IWM as the index proxy.

The Russell 2000 holds US companies ranked roughly 1,001 to 3,000 by size. It lagged the S&P 500 in seven of the eleven complete years from 2015 to 2025, and fell 20.5% in 2022. In 2026 it is ahead by nearly eleven points.

+18.5%2026 to date
+7.58%S&P 500, same stretch
2022, -20.5%Worst recent year
about 8.5%Return a year since 2001

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