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2025 in the Russell 2000: narrow leadership, lower quality led the way.
Returns were highly concentrated in 2025 with over a quarter of the index’s return coming from just 10 stocks and the top 10 industries accounted for 91% of the benchmark’s return.
At the same time, fundamentals have weakened with median ROAs declining, the percent of unprofitable companies increasing alongside balance sheets deteriorating.
Yet long-term data shows:
- 83% of rolling periods reward Quality
- 79% reward Value
2025 has challenged disciplined investors, but history shows these environments are cyclical, not permanent.
Concentration of Russell 2000 Returns: Stocks
Over a quarter of the Russell 2000’s 2025 return came from its top ten contributors

Source: FactSet; data as of 12/31/2025.
Concentration of Russell 2000 Returns: Industries
91% of the Russell 2000’s 2025 return came from its top 10 industries

Source: FactSet; data as of 12/31/2025.
Quality of Index has Declined
As of December 31, 2025


Source: Aristotle Boston analysis with data from Bloomberg and Russell Investments. Data from 7/1994 to 12/2025
Rolling 12-Month Payoffs to Quality and Value
Russell 2000 Universe, 1995 – 2025


Source: Aristotle Capital Boston analysis using Bloomberg data over the years 1995 to 2025.
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Past performance is not indicative of future results. The information provided in this report should not be considered financial advice or a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security.
Differing historical time periods are selected throughout the presentation as we believe specific periods provide the most informative historical analog for the concepts presented.
The Russell 2000® Index measures the performance of the small cap segment of the U.S. equity universe. The Russell 2000 Index is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index representing approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 1000® Index measures the performance of the large-cap segment of the US equity universe. It is a subset of the Russell 3000® Index and includes approximately 1,000 of the largest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership. The Russell 1000 represents approximately 93% of the Russell 3000® Index, as of the most recent reconstitution. The volatility (beta) of the portfolios may be greater or less than the benchmarks. It is not possible to invest directly in these indices.
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