What if you invested in Russell 2000 (IWM) in 2000?
IWM · Index · Data through 2026-06-01
If you invested $1,000 in Russell 2000 (IWM) in 2000
The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $8,517(+751.7%)
The S&P 500 returned $8,517 on the same $1,000. Russell 2000 (IWM) beat the market by $320.
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Compare Russell 2000 (IWM) to another stock
See how Russell 2000 (IWM) stacks up since 2000, head to head.
What if Russell 2000 (IWM) keeps this up?
Project forward at Russell 2000 (IWM)'s 8.5% historical growth rate. See 5-30 year scenarios.
Growth of $1,000
Russell 2000 (IWM) vs. S&P 500 vs. US Dollar, 2000 to present
Year-by-Year Returns
$1,000 invested in Russell 2000 (IWM) starting January 2000
| Year | Price | Value | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | $33.92 | $1,000 | - |
| 2001 | $36.27 | $1,069 | +6.9% |
| 2002 | $34.98 | $1,031 | -3.6% |
| 2003 | $27.32 | $805 | -21.9% |
| 2004 | $43.05 | $1,269 | +57.6% |
| 2005 | $46.73 | $1,378 | +8.6% |
| 2006 | $55.17 | $1,627 | +18.1% |
| 2007 | $61.20 | $1,804 | +10.9% |
| 2008 | $55.24 | $1,629 | -9.7% |
| 2009 | $35.16 | $1,037 | -36.3% |
| 2010 | $48.15 | $1,420 | +36.9% |
| 2011 | $63.24 | $1,865 | +31.3% |
| 2012 | $65.00 | $1,916 | +2.8% |
| 2013 | $75.21 | $2,218 | +15.7% |
| 2014 | $95.47 | $2,815 | +26.9% |
| 2015 | $99.76 | $2,941 | +4.5% |
| 2016 | $90.07 | $2,656 | -9.7% |
| 2017 | $120.13 | $3,542 | +33.4% |
| 2018 | $140.77 | $4,151 | +17.2% |
| 2019 | $135.81 | $4,004 | -3.5% |
| 2020 | $148.22 | $4,370 | +9.1% |
| 2021 | $192.50 | $5,676 | +29.9% |
| 2022 | $190.25 | $5,609 | -1.2% |
| 2023 | $183.64 | $5,414 | -3.5% |
| 2024 | $187.74 | $5,535 | +2.2% |
| 2025 | $223.03 | $6,576 | +18.8% |
| 2026 | $258.57 | $7,624 | +15.9% |
What this return means
Putting $1,000 into Russell 2000 (IWM) in 2000 returned $8,838. That is a +783.8% gain, a little over 8.8x your money, measured to 2026-06-01.
That is about 8.5% a year compounded, broadly in line with long-run stock market averages. Because this is a broad S&P 500 fund, it is the benchmark here rather than something measured against it.
The year-by-year record shows how bumpy the ride was. The best single year was 2004 at +57.6%, and the worst was 2009 at -36.3%. At its lowest point the position was down about 43% from an earlier high. These figures use split-adjusted closing prices and exclude dividends, taxes, trading fees, and inflation, so a real after-tax result would differ.
None of this is a recommendation. It is a record of what already happened, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
What if you invested $100 a month instead?
Most people do not drop a lump sum in on day one. They add a fixed amount every month. Putting $100 into Russell 2000 (IWM) at the close of every month from May 2000 through June 2026 means 314 buys and $31,400 contributed over about 26.2 years.
$100/month, dollar-cost averaged
$137,104
+336.6% on $31,400 in
Same $31,400, all in at the start
$277,472
+783.7% on $31,400 in
Going all in at the start beat spreading the buys out by $140,367. That is the usual result when a stock trends up: each monthly buy pays a higher price than the last, so the average cost climbs. Averaging in also meant an average buy price of $68.65 per share across the whole stretch, so the monthly buyer never had to time a single low. Neither number counts dividends, taxes, or trading costs.
Illustrative fixed $100/month example, not a recommendation. Figures are computed from IWM split-adjusted monthly closes through June 2026. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Russell 2000 (IWM) at different times
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For informational and educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. All calculations are based on split-adjusted closing prices from Yahoo Finance and do not account for dividends, taxes, or trading fees. See our methodology and full disclaimer.