What is the Russell 2000 Index and why has it been booming over the past 6 months?

There are many indexes used by investors to track the performance of different markets and sectors. 

Here in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) acts as the benchmark for the Australian stock market. 

It represents the largest 200 companies by market capitalisation.

Additionally, other important indexes we often compare it to are the S&P 500 Index (SP: .INX) or the NASDAQ-100 Index (NASDAQ: NDX). 

Generally, these are used as benchmarks in the US. 

Many investors use ASX ETFs to track the returns of these markets. 

If you want to track the ASX 200 here in Australia, you could invest in the BetaShares Australia 200 ETF (ASX: A200) or the iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF (ASX: IOZ). 

These are great options to add to your portfolio for instant diversification.

But there are many more indexes, focussed on not just the biggest companies in Australia or globally. 

One making headlines at the moment is the Russell 2000 RIC Capped Index. 

What is the Russell 2000 index?

The Russell 2000 Index provides exposure to approximately 2,000 small-cap companies across various sectors. To clarify, these companies are almost all in the US. 

Ultimately, the benefit of tracking an index like this is having diversified access to early stage innovators.

This is because growth can be faster in early stage companies compared to blue-chip stocks.

In a report from Global X, Senior Investment Strategist Billy Leung explained how earnings growth can differ based on the size of a company. 

Large caps, particularly those dominating the S&P 500, are typically mature, globally exposed, and already operating at scale. Their earnings growth is often steadier, but materially harder to accelerate once expectations are high.

Boosted performance

It’s been well documented that small-caps are enjoying a resurgence recently.

Here in Australia, ASX small-cap shares outperformed the larger players by almost 2.5 times last year, according to S&P Global data.

Looking to the US, Global X’s recent report sheds light on how economic conditions are resembling previous periods of success for the Russell 2000 index. 

The Russell 2000 opportunity into 2026 is best understood as an earnings-led regime rather than a tactical rate-cut trade. History suggests that when relative earnings growth shifts decisively in favour of small caps, performance tends to follow, even without multiple expansion or aggressive margin recovery assumptions.

How to gain exposure

One option for investors looking to gain exposure to this index, or more generally, US small-cap stocks, is the The Global X Russell 2000 ETF (ASX: RSSL). 

It aims to track the performance of the Russell 2000 index. 

Ultimately, it enables investors to capture high-growth opportunities in early-stage companies and it is already catching economic tailwinds. 

Just yesterday, the fund rose an impressive 3%.

Furthermore, in the last 6 months, it’s up more than 12%.

Comparatively, this has outpaced both the ASX 200 and S&P 500 over this period.

The post What is the Russell 2000 Index and why has it been booming over the past 6 months? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Bell has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.