Core Insights - The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) offers lower costs, higher yield, and broader diversification compared to the iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF (IWO), which focuses on growth-oriented small-cap stocks [1][2] Cost and Size Comparison - IWM has a lower expense ratio of 0.19% compared to IWO's 0.24% - IWM provides a higher dividend yield of 0.97% versus IWO's 0.65% - Assets Under Management (AUM) for IWM is $72.5 billion, significantly larger than IWO's $13.2 billion [3] Performance and Risk Comparison - IWO has a maximum drawdown of -42.02% over five years, while IWM's is -31.91% - The growth of $1,000 invested over five years would result in $1,334 for IWM compared to $1,212 for IWO [4] Portfolio Composition - IWM holds 1,951 stocks across all sectors, with notable tilts towards healthcare (18%), financials (18%), and industrials (17%) - IWO focuses on a more concentrated portfolio with top sectors including healthcare (25%), industrials (22%), and technology (21%) [5][6] Investment Implications - IWM is more diversified, providing broader exposure to the small-cap market, which may help limit risk during volatility - IWO offers a targeted approach with higher potential for growth but comes with a more concentrated risk profile [8][9]

The big news on Wednesday was the Federal Reserve's 0.25% cut in its key federal funds rate to a range of 3.5%-3.75%. Projections suggest only one 0.25% interest rate cut will happen in 2026 due to slowing job growth and persistent inflation. Despite the realization that interest rates aren’t going to get much lower, stocks jumped on the news; the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indexes hit six-week and five-week highs, respectively. More News from Barchart In yesterday’s unusual options activity, the top 25 E ...

Core Insights - Small caps have recently outperformed larger caps, indicating a potential shift in market dynamics as they enter a historically strong period [1][2][4] - The Russell 2000 index, representing small caps, is expected to perform better than the Russell 1000, which includes larger companies, over the next few months [2][7] Index Overview - The Russell 2000 consists of approximately 2,000 stocks with market capitalizations under about $4.5 billion, while the Russell 1000 includes larger stocks with market caps over $10 billion [2][3] - Historical data shows that small caps tend to outperform large caps from mid-December through early March, although they may experience greater volatility [4][7] Performance Metrics - A chart comparing the Russell 2000 to the Russell 1000 indicates that small caps are approaching a favorable performance zone, which could signal continued outperformance [5][6] - The iShares Russell 2000 ETF has tested a key resistance level at 240, with previous attempts to break above this level resulting in sell-offs [9][10] Market Dynamics - Small caps are more closely tied to the U.S. economy and are more sensitive to interest rates and credit conditions, leading to greater swings in performance compared to large caps [7][8] - Large caps benefit from global revenue streams and stronger balance sheets, making them more resilient during economic downturns [8] Investment Considerations - Investors are advised to monitor whether the Russell 2000 can maintain its position above the 2400 level and if small caps can continue to outperform despite potential pullbacks [10][11] - Stock picking in the small cap space requires thorough research due to lower analyst coverage, emphasizing the importance of strong balance sheets and fundamental analysis [8][11]

Core Insights - Expectations for a December rate cut from the U.S. Federal Reserve have intensified, with major banks and market participants increasingly viewing it as the most likely scenario [1][2] - The CME FedWatch tool indicates an 85% probability of a quarter-point reduction in December, influenced by weak payroll and inflation data [2][3] - A cooling labor market and limited hiring are pressuring policymakers to stimulate growth, making a rate cut imminent to support the labor market and guard against economic downturns [3] Sectors Poised to Benefit From Lower Rates - **Technology Stocks**: Lower rates increase the present value of future profits, significantly boosting current valuations for high-growth technology companies [5] - **Small-Cap Stocks**: These companies are more sensitive to domestic economic conditions and benefit from reduced debt servicing costs and increased access to affordable capital [6] - **Financials**: Banks with diversified operations may see improved loan activity due to lower rates [6] - **Consumer Discretionary & Utilities**: Lower interest rates enhance consumer credit access and spending power, benefiting profit margins in consumer discretionary companies, while utilities benefit from reduced financing costs [7] ETFs to Consider - **Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK)**: AUM of $91.47 billion, exposure to 70 tech companies, top holdings include Nvidia (14.24%) and Apple (13.49%), has gained 22.6% year to date [9][10] - **iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM)**: AUM of $71.69 billion, exposure to 1,958 small-cap U.S. companies, has gained 12.8% year to date [11] - **Financial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLF)**: AUM of $51.45 billion, exposure to 75 financial services companies, has risen 10.7% year to date [12][13] - **Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY)**: AUM of $23 billion, exposure to 49 consumer discretionary companies, has gained 5.4% year to date [14][15] - **Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLU)**: AUM of $22.07 billion, exposure to 31 utility companies, has surged 21.4% year to date [16][17]

I am no fan of small-cap investing. And I haven’t been for at least the past decade or so. That’s partly a market structure issue, and partly due to how the original small-cap ETF, the $64 billion iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM), has turned into a psedo-junkyard for highly indebted public companies. It is estimated that 2 out of 5 stocks in that heavily populated index are vulnerable to sustained higher interest rates. That is, they need to roll over existing debt in the next few years, and much of that de ...

Market Overview - Wall Street is entering a historically strong month, with November being the best month for the S&P 500, averaging a gain of 1.8% since 1950 [1] - The S&P 500 is currently just below the 7,000 mark, significantly above the year-end target of 6,555 predicted by strategists [2] - All three major indexes have shown strong year-to-date gains, with the Dow Jones up 12.2%, S&P 500 up over 16%, and Nasdaq Composite up over 23% as of October 31, 2025 [3] Federal Reserve Policy - The Federal Reserve has entered an easing policy era, having cut interest rates by a quarter percentage point for the second consecutive meeting, bringing the benchmark rate to a range of 3.75%-4.00% [4] - The rate cut reflects the Fed's intention to bolster economic growth and strengthen the labor market amid limited economic data due to a government shutdown [5] U.S.-China Trade Relations - Investor confidence has been boosted by hopes of easing U.S.-China trade tensions, following a meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping, where they reached an understanding to pause new trade tensions [6] - China will cease investigations targeting U.S. companies in the semiconductor supply chain, as announced by the White House [7] Consumer Spending Trends - Approximately 91% of consumers plan to celebrate the winter holidays, with average spending expected to be $890.49 per person, a slight decrease of 1.3% from last year's record [8] Investment Opportunities - **High Beta ETF**: Invesco S&P 500 High Beta ETF (SPHB) is recommended due to easing Fed policy and trade tensions, along with anticipated holiday season sales [10] - **Consumer Discretionary ETF**: Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLY) is expected to benefit from increased holiday shopping, with significant holdings in Amazon and Home Depot [11] - **Software ETF**: SPDR S&P Software & Services ETF (XSW) is positioned well due to the growing demand for AI software, which is sold on a subscription basis [12] - **Aerospace ETF**: iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) has reported earnings growth of 226.1% on 15% higher revenues, making it a strong investment option [13] - **Small-Caps ETF**: iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) is favored due to Fed rate cuts, easing trade tensions, and favorable small-cap valuations [14]

Core Insights - The iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF (IJR) is the largest ETF in the Small Cap Blend segment of the US equity market, with assets exceeding $84.97 billion [1] - Small cap companies, defined as those with market capitalizations below $2 billion, are considered high-potential investments but carry higher risks compared to larger counterparts [2] - The ETF has an annual operating expense ratio of 0.06%, making it one of the least expensive options in its category, with a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 1.94% [3] Sector Exposure and Holdings - The ETF has a significant allocation to the Industrials sector, comprising approximately 17.7% of the portfolio, followed by Information Technology and Financials [4] - Key individual holdings include Blk Csh Fnd Treasury Sl Agency (XTSLA) at 1.43% of total assets, Sandisk Corp (SNDK), and Sterling Infrastructure Inc (STRL) [5] Performance Metrics - IJR aims to replicate the performance of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index, with a year-to-date return of about 3.45% and a one-year return of approximately 5.29% as of November 4, 2025 [6] - The ETF has traded between $90.56 and $127.38 over the past 52 weeks [6] - With a beta of 1.10 and a standard deviation of 20.88% over the trailing three years, IJR is categorized as a medium-risk investment [7] Alternatives and Market Position - IJR holds a Zacks ETF Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating strong expected performance based on various factors [8] - Other comparable ETFs include the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) with $67.85 billion in assets and an expense ratio of 0.19%, and the Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) with $68.23 billion in assets and a lower expense ratio of 0.05% [9] Investment Appeal - Passively managed ETFs like IJR are favored by both institutional and retail investors due to their low costs, transparency, flexibility, and tax efficiency [10]

Group 1: ETF Inflows - Investors invested $37.6 billion into U.S.-listed ETFs during the week ending October 31, indicating strong inflows despite a hawkish tone from the Federal Reserve [1] - U.S. equity ETFs led inflows with $19.3 billion, followed by U.S. fixed income funds at $8.7 billion, international equity ETFs at $8.6 billion, and international fixed income products at $2.2 billion [1] Group 2: Market Conditions - The macro backdrop remained supportive with stocks near record highs, driven by strong gains in technology stocks such as Nvidia and Amazon [2] - The Federal Reserve cut rates as expected, but Chair Jerome Powell's comments suggested a December rate cut was not guaranteed, diverging from market expectations [2] - Futures markets indicate a 67% chance of another rate cut next month, down from pre-meeting levels [2] Group 3: Top Performing ETFs - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) saw the highest inflows with $4.4 billion, followed by the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (VGT) with $2.1 billion, and the Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF (QQQM) with over $1 billion [4] - On the fixed income side, the JPMorgan Municipal ETF (JMUB) led with $1.9 billion in inflows [4] Group 4: International ETFs - The Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF (VEA) and the JPMorgan BetaBuilders Europe ETF (BBEU) had notable inflows of $805 million and $757 million, respectively [5] Group 5: ETF Outflows - The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) experienced $1.8 billion in redemptions as small caps underperformed large caps [6] - The Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares (SOXL) saw $1.3 billion in outflows as traders took profits after a rally in semiconductor stocks [6] - The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) and the iShares 0–3 Month Treasury Bond ETF (SGOV) each had about $1 billion in redemptions, reflecting profit-taking and a dip in demand for ultra-short Treasuries [7]

Core Insights - Investors invested a record $175.6 billion into U.S.-listed ETFs in October, marking the largest monthly inflow in history, bringing total inflows for 2025 to $1.12 trillion, just $4 billion short of the full-year 2024 record [1] - With two months remaining in the year, inflows are projected to reach between $1.3 trillion and $1.5 trillion, surpassing last year's total [1] Inflows Across Asset Classes - U.S. equity ETFs attracted $73.1 billion, while U.S. fixed income ETFs saw inflows of $42.5 billion [2] - International equity ETFs gained $35.4 billion, international fixed income funds added $9.4 billion, and both commodities and currency ETFs received approximately $5.8 billion each [2] - The widespread inflows indicate the growing adoption of ETFs across various asset classes [2] Top Performing Funds - The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) led with $17.7 billion in inflows, raising its assets to nearly $800 billion, and has accumulated almost $104 billion this year, on track for a second consecutive year exceeding $100 billion in inflows [3] - The SPDR Portfolio S&P 500 ETF (SPLG) followed with $6.7 billion, and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) added $6.3 billion, with QQQ up about 24% year-to-date due to AI-driven enthusiasm in large-cap tech stocks [4] Demand for Crypto and Commodities - The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) attracted $4.3 billion as Bitcoin approached a record near $125,000 before retreating towards $100,000 [5] - The SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) saw inflows of $3.6 billion as gold prices surged above $4,300 an ounce, reflecting a 63% increase year-to-date before slightly declining below $4,000 [5] International Flows - The JPMorgan BetaBuilders Europe ETF (BBEU) led international flows with $4 billion in October, up about 25% for the year [6] - The iShares U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) was the only fixed income fund in the top ten, attracting $4.1 billion as the 10-year Treasury yield briefly dipped to 3.94% before rising to 4.09% [6] Outflows from Specific Sectors - The iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) experienced the largest outflows in October, losing $4.1 billion as investors rotated out of small caps [7] - The Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares (SOXL) saw outflows of $2.7 billion as traders took profits following a strong performance in semiconductor stocks like Nvidia [7]

Core Insights - The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) has a lower expense ratio and larger assets under management compared to the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM), making it a more cost-effective option for large-cap exposure [1][2][9] Cost & Size Comparison - VOO has an expense ratio of 0.03%, significantly lower than IWM's 0.19% - As of October 27, 2025, VOO's one-year return is 18.0%, while IWM's is 12.5% - VOO has a total AUM of $1.4 trillion, compared to IWM's $70.8 billion [2] Performance & Risk Comparison - Over the past five years, VOO has a max drawdown of -24.53%, while IWM's is -31.91% - A $1,000 investment in VOO would have grown to $2,021, compared to $1,569 for IWM over the same period [3] Portfolio Composition - VOO primarily invests in large-cap U.S. stocks, with technology making up 35% of its portfolio, followed by financial services and consumer discretionary sectors - The fund holds 504 stocks, with significant allocations to NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Apple [4] - IWM focuses on small-cap stocks, with industrials (18%), financial services (17%), and healthcare (16%) as its largest sectors, and it holds 1,966 stocks with minimal individual allocations [5] Investment Strategy - VOO is suitable for risk-averse investors seeking stable gains, while IWM appeals to those willing to take on more risk for potential growth in small-cap stocks [8][11]