Russell 2000 Index

The Russell 2000 Index is a small-cap U.S. stock market index that is made up of the smallest 2,000 stocks in the Russell 3000 Index. It was started by the Frank Russell Company in 1984. The index is maintained by FTSE Russell, a subsidiary of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).

Russell 2000

Index between 1978–2012
Foundation	January 1, 1984 (1984-01-01)
Operator	FTSE Russell
Exchanges	New York Stock Exchange Nasdaq OTC Markets Group
Trading symbol	^RUT RUT RTY
Constituents	1,919 (April 30, 2026)
Type	Small-cap
Market cap	US$2.7 trillion (April 30, 2025)
Weighting method	Free-float capitalization-weighted
Related indices	Russell 3000 Index
Website	ftse.com/products/indices/russell-us

Overview

The Russell 2000 is by far the most common benchmark for mutual funds that identify themselves as "small-cap", while the S&P 500 index is used primarily for large capitalization stocks. It is the most widely quoted measure of the overall performance of small-cap to mid-cap company shares. It is commonly considered an indicator of the U.S. economy due to its focus on small-cap companies in the U.S. market. The index represents approximately 7% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. As of 31 December 2024, the weighted average market capitalization of a company in the index is approximately $3.65 billion and the median market capitalization is approximately $0.99 billion. The market capitalization of the largest company in the index is approximately $14.72 billion.

It first traded above the 1,000 level on May 20, 2013, and above the 2,000 level on December 23, 2020.

Similar small-cap indices include the S&P 600 from Standard & Poor's, which is less commonly used, along with those from other financial information providers.

Record values

Category	All-Time Highs
Previous Record Closing	2698.17	Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Closing	2,886.77	Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Intraday	2,888.62	Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Annual returns

Year	Price return	Total return
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%

Components of the Russell 2000 by market capitalization.

1. Information Technology (14.0%)
2. Financials (18.0%)
3. Communication Services (3.00%)
4. Consumer Discretionary (10.0%)
5. Healthcare (16.0%)
6. Industrials (18.0%)
7. Consumer Staples (3.00%)
8. Energy (5.00%)
9. Utilities (3.00%)
10. Real Estate (6.00%)
11. Materials (4.00%)

Investing

Many fund companies offer mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that attempt to replicate the performance of the Russell 2000. Their results will be affected by stock selection, trading expenses, and market impact of reacting to changes in the constituent companies of the index. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

See also

• Russell 3000 Index – U.S. all-cap stock market index
• Russell 1000 Index – U.S. large-cap stock market index
• S&P 600 – American small-cap stock market index
• List of largest daily changes in the Russell 2000

External links

• Russell 2000 Index Fact Sheet
• Russell US Indexes
• Business data for Russell 2000 Index:
  • Google
  • Yahoo!