Russell 2000 (RUT) Index forecast for 2026

Russell 2000 concept.

Any size matters. By the way, Russell 2000 takes care of “small”. Since 1984, this stock market index has tracked the performance of 2,000 US small publicly traded stocks. It is determined by market cap and targets small cap companies (typically $ 300 billion to $ 2 billion in market value), which account for over 90% of companies in the US stock market.

As a result, the Russell 2000 serves as a snapshot of what is happening with small stocks and is commonly used as a benchmark for small funds with limited capital to compare their performance to the market as a whole.

Which companies are included in Russell 2000.

Russell 2000’s intent was to isolate and focus on small publicly traded companies – they make up the vast majority of US publicly traded stocks: 98% of them. According to Russell himself, the index “is designed to offer a comprehensive and unbiased view of the US small-cap market.” Overall, given the Russell 2000’s size (2,000 shares again) and its focus on smaller companies, many of the companies included are likely less known to investors and the general public.

Popular: The three Russell 2000 stocks with the most investor stocks were Etsy, Five Below, and Planet Fitness.
Size: The average size (by market cap) of the Russell 2000 was $ 2.4 billion.

Industry. The most represented sectors in the index (highest to lowest) were financial services, healthcare, consumer services, durable goods and technology.