Small Caps Are Outperforming: Can IWM Beat SPY This Year?
U.S. small caps are enjoying their longest streak of outperformance versus large caps in seven years. IWM is up 7.86% this month, far ahead of the S&P 500’s 1.45% gain. The last time small caps led for longer was January 2019, during a post-crash rebound. Investors point to the January effect and expectations that small-cap companies may be less exposed to potential Donald Trump-related tariff risks.
Is this small-cap rally mainly a January effect or the start of a broader rotation?
For 2026 positioning, would you overweight small caps or stick with large-cap leaders?