Risk/ Characteristics

Small caps reflect the market

Russell 2000 companies tend to be more specialized than those of the more diversified Russell 1000 constituents, suggests that Russell 2000 companies are less resilient to economic or industry specific shocks. That riskiness has likely contributed to the historically higher volatility of Russell 2000 returns. However, it is important to note that more recently, large and small cap markets seem to be converging as illustrated by similarities in metrics.

Exhibit 11: Implied Volatility

CBOE Russell 2000 Volatility Index (RVX) (1/1/2007 - 12/31/2021)

Exhibit 12: Fundamental Characteristics

Quarterly market snapshot (as of 12/31/2021)

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