Worst Performance in a Decade Spurs $1.8 Billion Small-Cap Bet

  • iShares Russell 2000 ETF attracts most cash in 10 months
  • Monthly inflow comes as small caps have lagged drastically
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With the relative performance of smaller companies near its worst in a decade, exchange-traded fund investors are going bottom fishing.

The $44 billion iShares Russell 2000 ETF, which trades under the ticker IWM, has attracted more than $1.8 billion in July, the most for any month since September, data compiled by Bloomberg show. While the most popular large-cap benchmarks have all touched record highs, the Russell 2000 remains roughly 10% below last year’s peak -- pushing a ratio of small- versus large-company stock prices to the lowest since the financial crisis.