Russell 2000 History Since 1987

The Russell 2000 closed at 2,728 on October 19, 2026. Its all-time high close was 3,068 on August 14, 2026 (11.1% below). Since September 10, 1987 it has risen from 168.97, about 7.4% a year excluding dividends. Its biggest one-day fall was 14.3% on March 16, 2020.

Daily data to October 19, 2026 · Index points

Latest close

2,728

October 19, 2026

All-time high close

3,068

August 14, 2026 · -11.1% from it

Starting value

168.97

September 10, 1987

Average yearly change

+7.4%

price only, excl. dividends

Price on a date

Any date since September 10, 1987. Weekends and holidays show the previous close.

Biggest one-day moves

Falls
Mar 16, 2020	−14.3%
Oct 19, 1987	−12.5%
Dec 1, 2008	−11.9%
Mar 12, 2020	−11.2%
Mar 18, 2020	−10.4%
Oct 15, 2008	−9.5%
Mar 9, 2020	−9.4%
Oct 26, 1987	−9.3%
Oct 20, 1987	−9.1%
Aug 8, 2011	−8.9%

Gains
Mar 24, 2020	+9.4%
Oct 13, 2008	+9.3%
Apr 9, 2025	+8.7%
Nov 13, 2008	+8.5%
Mar 23, 2009	+8.4%
Apr 6, 2020	+8.2%
Mar 13, 2020	+7.8%
Oct 21, 1987	+7.6%
Oct 28, 2008	+7.6%
Nov 24, 2008	+7.4%

Close-to-close changes between consecutive trading days (moves across long market closures are left out).

Bear Markets (Falls of 20% or More)

The usual definition: a fall of at least 20% from a closing high, ending at the lowest close before a 20% rebound. Prices only — not adjusted for dividends or inflation.

Fall	Peak	Trough	Length	Back to the old high
−27.9%	Nov 25, 2024 2,442	Apr 8, 2025 1,761	4 mo	Sep 2025 (0.8 yrs after the peak)
−32.5%	Nov 8, 2021 2,443	Jun 16, 2022 1,650	7 mo	Sep 2025 (3.9 yrs after the peak)
−41.9%	Jan 16, 2020 1,705	Mar 18, 2020 991	2 mo	Nov 2020 (0.8 yrs after the peak)
−27.2%	Aug 31, 2018 1,741	Dec 24, 2018 1,267	4 mo	Nov 2020 (2.2 yrs after the peak)
−26.4%	Jun 23, 2015 1,296	Feb 11, 2016 954	8 mo	Nov 2016 (1.4 yrs after the peak)
−29.6%	Apr 29, 2011 865	Oct 3, 2011 609	5 mo	Jan 2013 (1.7 yrs after the peak)
−20.5%	Apr 23, 2010 742	Jul 6, 2010 590	2 mo	Dec 2010 (0.6 yrs after the peak)
−33.3%	Jan 6, 2009 515	Mar 9, 2009 343	2 mo	Jun 2009 (0.4 yrs after the peak)
−29.4%	Nov 4, 2008 546	Nov 20, 2008 385	1 mo	Jul 2009 (0.7 yrs after the peak)
−47.6%	Jul 13, 2007 856	Oct 27, 2008 448	1.3 yrs	Apr 2011 (3.8 yrs after the peak)
−37.5%	Apr 16, 2002 523	Oct 9, 2002 327	6 mo	Oct 2003 (1.5 yrs after the peak)
−26.7%	May 22, 2001 517	Sep 21, 2001 379	4 mo	Apr 2002 (0.9 yrs after the peak)
−21.9%	Jul 17, 2000 545	Apr 4, 2001 426	9 mo	Nov 2003 (3.4 yrs after the peak)
−25.1%	Mar 9, 2000 606	Apr 14, 2000 454	1 mo	Apr 2004 (4.1 yrs after the peak)
−36.9%	Apr 21, 1998 491	Oct 8, 1998 310	6 mo	Dec 1999 (1.7 yrs after the peak)
−34.3%	Oct 9, 1989 181	Oct 30, 1990 119	1.1 yrs	Oct 1991 (2.0 yrs after the peak)
−38.5%	Oct 5, 1987 173	Oct 28, 1987 106	1 mo	Jun 1989 (1.7 yrs after the peak)

Decade by decade

Decade	Change	Per year
2010s	+167%	+10.3%
2000s	+24%	+2.2%
1990s	+200%	+11.6%

End of the previous decade to the end of the decade.

Best and worst years

Best
2003	+45.4%
1991	+43.7%
2013	+37.0%
1995	+26.2%
2010	+25.3%

Worst
2008	−34.8%
2002	−21.6%
2022	−21.6%
1990	−21.5%
2018	−12.2%

Calendar-year change, year-end close to year-end close.

Russell 2000 by Year

Year-end close, change, and the year's highest and lowest close.

Year	Close	Change	High	Low
2026 YTD	2,728	+9.9%	3,068 Aug 14	2,414 Mar 30
2025	2,482	+11.3%	2,591 Dec 11	1,761 Apr 8
2024	2,230	+10.0%	2,442 Nov 25	1,913 Jan 17
2023	2,027	+15.1%	2,066 Dec 27	1,637 Oct 27
2022	1,761	−21.6%	2,273 Jan 3	1,650 Jun 16
2021	2,245	+13.7%	2,443 Nov 8	1,946 Jan 4
2020	1,975	+18.4%	2,007 Dec 23	991.16 Mar 18
2019	1,668	+23.7%	1,678 Dec 24	1,331 Jan 3
2018	1,349	−12.2%	1,741 Aug 31	1,267 Dec 24
2017	1,536	+13.1%	1,549 Dec 28	1,345 Apr 13
2016	1,357	+19.5%	1,388 Dec 9	953.71 Feb 11
2015	1,136	−5.7%	1,296 Jun 23	1,084 Sep 29
2014	1,205	+3.5%	1,219 Dec 29	1,049 Oct 13
2013	1,164	+37.0%	1,164 Dec 31	872.60 Jan 3
2012	849.35	+14.6%	864.70 Sep 14	737.24 Jun 4
2011	740.92	−5.5%	865.29 Apr 29	609.49 Oct 3
2010	783.65	+25.3%	792.35 Dec 27	586.49 Feb 8
2009	625.39	+25.2%	634.07 Dec 24	343.26 Mar 9
2008	499.45	−34.8%	763.27 Jun 5	385.31 Nov 20
2007	766.03	−2.7%	855.77 Jul 13	735.07 Nov 26
2006	787.66	+17.0%	797.73 Dec 27	671.94 Jul 21
2005	673.22	+3.3%	690.57 Dec 2	575.02 Apr 28
2004	651.57	+17.0%	654.57 Dec 28	517.10 Aug 12
2003	556.91	+45.4%	565.47 Dec 30	345.94 Mar 12
2002	383.09	−21.6%	522.95 Apr 16	327.04 Oct 9
2001	488.50	+1.0%	517.23 May 22	378.89 Sep 21
2000	483.53	−4.2%	606.05 Mar 9	443.80 Dec 20
1999	504.75	+19.6%	504.75 Dec 31	383.37 Mar 23
1998	421.96	−3.4%	491.41 Apr 21	310.28 Oct 8
1997	437.02	+20.5%	465.21 Oct 13	335.85 Apr 25
1996	362.61	+14.8%	364.61 May 22	301.75 Jan 16
1995	315.97	+26.2%	316.12 Sep 14	246.56 Jan 30
1994	250.36	−3.2%	271.08 Mar 18	235.16 Dec 9
1993	258.59	+17.0%	260.17 Nov 2	217.55 Feb 23
1992	221.01	+16.4%	221.01 Dec 31	185.81 Jul 8
1991	189.94	+43.7%	189.94 Dec 31	125.25 Jan 15
1990	132.20	−21.5%	170.90 Jun 15	118.82 Oct 30
1989	168.31	+14.2%	180.78 Oct 9	146.79 Jan 3
1988	147.37	+22.4%	151.42 Jul 15	121.23 Jan 12
1987	120.42	—	172.54 Oct 5	106.08 Oct 28

Daily closes since Sep 1987. Index values are shown for reference; they are price indices and exclude dividends.

Russell 2000 History FAQ

What is the Russell 2000 all-time high?

The highest close in our data is 3,068 on August 14, 2026. The latest close is 2,728 (October 19, 2026).

What was the biggest one-day drop?

March 16, 2020, when it fell 14.3% to 1,037.

What was the worst bear market?

From July 13, 2007 to October 27, 2008 it fell 47.6%, from 855.77 to 448.40. It regained the old high on April 27, 2011, 3.8 years after the peak (prices only, not counting dividends or inflation).

Where does this data come from?

Daily closes since Sep 1987. Later closes are added daily. Prices are for reference and may contain errors; check an official source before relying on a figure.

Historical prices are provided for information and may contain errors. Index values are the property of their publishers and are shown for reference only. Past performance does not predict future results; nothing here is investment advice.