The Russell 2000 Index is a
small-cap stock market index that makes up the smallest 2,000 stocks in the
Russell 3000 Index. It was started by the
Frank Russell Company
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Curre ...
in 1984. The index is maintained by
FTSE Russell, a subsidiary of the
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG).
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
The Standard and Poor's 500, or simply the S&P 500, is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices. As of ...
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 10% of the total market capitalization of the
Russell 3000 Index. , the weighted average market capitalization for a company in the index is around $3.1 billion; the median market cap is $1.0 billion. The market cap of the largest company in the index is $10.1 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
The S&P SmallCap 600 Index (S&P 600) is a stock market index established by Standard & Poor's. It covers roughly the small-cap range of American stocks, using a capitalization-weighted index.
To be included in the index, a stock must have a to ...
from
Standard & Poor's
S&P Global Ratings (previously Standard & Poor's and informally known as S&P) is an American credit rating agency (CRA) and a division of S&P Global that publishes financial research and analysis on stocks, bonds, and commodities. S&P is co ...
,
which is less commonly used, along with those from other financial information provi